Summer Love Goes On
by ahiru2524
Summary: This story picks up where the episode "Summer Love" ended: the kiss. I feel like what happened after could have been very interesting, so this is what might have happened in the following days.
1. Chapter 1

**Ok, so this is my first fan fiction, so please bear with me while I do my best! Reviews are very much appreciated as I try to make something worth while.**

**Disclaimer: Hey Arnold is not mine, because if it was it would still be a show, and we would all have the Jungle Movie by now :) props to Craig Bartlett for this amazing show, though!**

Chapter 1

"Aaand cut! I said cut. Young lady, we have this shot..."

The director's voice cut through Helga's bliss, and she quickly disconnected herself from Arnold while trying to hide the blush that was coming over her cheeks.

'_Criminy!'_ she thought, while barely aware of the director calling it a wrap, '_What was I thinking? I shouldn't have kissed him that long! Now he's going to start asking questions!'_ She walked over to get her bag, still inwardly cursing herself, but when she turned around she came face to face with Arnold.

"Arnold! Um, can I help you football head?"

"Um, hi Helga, I um, I had something I wanted to ask-"

"I've got to go change! I'll talk to you later!" She said quickly. She ducked past Arnold and ran to the beach hut that served as the girls dressing rooms. Helga dashed into the nearest cubical and locked the door firmly behind her, then turned around and pressed her back against the door.

"Great, just great! I should have known this would happen! Why did I kiss him so long? Oh, but it was so wonderful!" Helga pulled out her gold locket and stared lovingly at the picture of Arnold,

"Oh Arnold, my football headed love, why must I put up this crazy charade? If only I could tell you how I really feel! But alas, I can not."

After a moment Helga tucked the locket back into it's little pocket she had sewn in her tank top and began changing out of the bathing suit she wore for the show.

After changing back into her pink and white outfit Helga carefully opened the door and peeked out through the crack. After seeing no sign of Arnold she went to go say goodbye to the director and the rest of the cast.

Afterwards, thinking she was in the clear an Arnold had gone home, she started walking up the hill in the direction of the parking lot to wait for her parents to pick her up. Assuming they remembered.

A half an hour later, Helga was still sitting in the same place, picking at the crumbling log beneath her. '_Yeah, they forgot, didn't they?'_ The cast and crew had long since left, eager to get home themselves, and Helga had no cell phone to call anyone. Just as she was thinking about trying to find a pay phone (and money to use one) she heard a voice.

"Helga? What are you still doing here?" Arnold asked, "I thought you went home half an hour ago". Helga sighed,

"Yeah, well I guess Mariam fell asleep again. No surprise there".

Arnold walked over and sat down on the log next to Helga,

"Well, my Grandpa should be here soon. You can ride home with us".

"Thanks Football Head. Say, what are you still doing here? I know your grandpa wouldn't forget you, and like you said we've been done for a while." Arnold blushed slightly,

"I..uh..I just wanted to spend some time by myself looking at the water; it's relaxing. Anyway, I asked Grandpa to pick me up a little later so I could enjoy the view."

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, Arnold had an idea,

"Hey Helga? Have you ever been to Lookout Point?"

"Um..no, I don't think so. What is it?" Arnold smiled

"It's this great little spot that has a wonderful view of the ocean. Do you...do you want me to show you?"

Hega looked at him for a moment; was he actually asking her to go somewhere with him? Like a date?!

'_Whoa Helga' _she thought to herself, '_It's not a date. Hardly. Is just a little field trip of sorts'_. But still, Arnold was inviting her somewhere, and that was enough.

"Sure. Sounds fun".

The two stood, but Helga lost her balance and fell over backwards. Considering the log was behind her, she tripped over that and ended up rolling a few feet back down the hill.

'_Oh THAT was graceful' _Helga thought, '_Great. Could I be more of a klutz? I can't believe-' _

"Helga!," Arnold called, interrupting her thoughts, "Are you ok?!" He ran down the hill and crouched beside her.

"Um, yeah, I'm fine"

"Are you sure?" Arnold questioned "that was a pretty bad fall".

Helga tried to respond, but her brain could not form a coherent thought at the moment as, in his worry, Arnold had placed his hand on hers.

"I..um..yeah, I'm..I'm fine. Really" she finally managed, "Just a bit of a klutz, that's all. Don't you dare tell anyone about this though, got it Hair Boy?"

In response Arnold reached up and straightened her slightly crooked bow and said quietly,

"I won't". He then stood, breaking the contact of their hands, but before Helga could even think about it she realized Arnold was offering her his hand. Resisting the urge to snap at him, she took his hand and he helped her up.

As the two started walking in the direction Arnold had indicated before, Helga noticed two things almost instantly:

1) She and Arnold were still holding hands, and

2) He had an odd little smile on his face as he looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"What's so funny?" She asked, inwardly worried that he was laughing at her.

"Nothing", Arnold said slowly,

"It's just...you have a leaf in your hair and it's sticking straight up on top of your head. You know, like the feathers that Native American princesses wore in their hair in the pictures that Mr. Simmons showed us?"

'_What?'_ Helga thought. Was Arnold saying she looked like a princess? '_Steady girl. He's probably just talking about the leaf, not you.'_

Arnold slowly reached up and pulled the leaf from her hair,

"There, all gone" he said with a small smile still on his lips.

It took all of Helga's self restraint not to just kiss him right there, looking so cute. And since she could think of nothing to say, they walked in silence for quite some time until Arnold suddenly said,

"Here we are. Lookout point is right up here".

Helga turned her attention to the view; it was beautiful. From where they were they could see miles of ocean, and the light was just starting to fade, casting pale orange and pink streaks throughout the sky.

Arnold sat at the edge of the cliff, and Helga slowly joined him.

"It's beautiful here", she murmured "How did you find this place?"

"It was the first time I remember coming here", he said,

"Grandpa showed it to me..." he paused, then in a much quieter voice he continued, "Because it was my parents favorite spot on the beach".

"Oh" Helga said; she knew the subject of Arnold's parents was hard for him, and she wasn't sure what to say.

The two sat in silence for a while, just admiring the view, until Arnold said tentatively

"So Helga...about earlier...well, I wanted to ask you-"

"Did I just hear a car?" Helga said quickly. She stood, but Arnold took her hand firmly before she could leave. He stood, then looked her directly in the eye.

"Helga, there's no car. Why do you keep running away from me?" Helga blushed a deep pink and looked at her shoes, then mumbled something inaudible and tried to pull away.

"Helga, please just listen to me. I think I know what you're afraid I'm going to ask, and if we're thinking the same thing then don't worry. I'm not going to ask about it; I wouldn't want you to be uncomfortable around me, and I know that's what would happen. Will you please just stay and listen to what I want to say? Please?"

Helga looked up from her shoes a bit, glancing at Arnold from the corner of her eye,

"Alright. I'll stay. On the condition that if you bring up...the subject that I'd rather not discuss, I can leave whenever I want. Deal?"

"Deal."

"Alright", Helga said, sitting back down on the sand, "Go ahead".

Arnold sat as well, then took a deep breath,

"Helga, I was wondering...if...if maybe, sometime, you'd like to...come over for dinner?" he braced himself for her reaction, but was slightly surprised when she said "You want me to come over for dinner? Really?" He turned to her and said

"Yeah. I thought, since we had so much fun here at the beach, it would be nice to have you over. But if you don't want to I understand" he added quickly.

"Why?" was all she said.

"Why what?"

"Why would you invite me over? I mean, other than this trip, I've always bullied you. Actually, a lot of this trip was like that too, considering the...Summer thing. After all of that, you still want me to come over?"

"Of course I do" Arnold said "I don't think you're really as mean as you lead people to believe, Helga. I think you're a really nice person on the inside. I just wish you let her out a little more. Besides, in the long run you really helped me with Summer; if it weren't for you I would have ended up winning the contest with her instead of you. And...I'm really happy I won with you." he finished, blushing lightly.

Helga was stunned. He really wanted her to come over! And he thought she was nice! _And_ he was glad they won the sandcastle contest together! Her mind was swirling, but she managed to say "Oh, well, um, I'm glad we won too. And sure, I'd like to come over. That sounds like fun."

Just then they heard a car horn from the parking lot not too far away.

"That must be Grandpa", Arnold said, standing, "Are you ready to go Helga?"

"Ready when you are, Football Head", Helga said, standing as well. The two walked down the hill and across the parking lot to the old Packard waiting for them.

"Hey, Shortman! You brought your little friend along with us today?" Grandpa Phil said as the two climbed into the backseat.

"Yeah, is that ok Grandpa?" Arnold asked, even though he knew what his grandfather would say.

"Sure it's ok! The more the merrier! So, did you two have fun filming your fancy television show?"

Helga immediately blushed pink, remembering how the show had ended, but was shocked out of her embarrassment when she heard Arnold say "Yeah, it was really fun!"

'_Arnold had fun?'_ Helga thought to herself '_That's wonderful! Maybe there's hope after all!' _

The three spent the rest of the ride talking about all sorts of things, but Helga had a hard time paying attention due to the fact that Arnold's hand slowly made it's way closer to hers the whole way home.

Though he never actually held her hand, and she wasn't sure if he was conscious of doing it, she swore she saw a hint of a smile on Arnold's lips.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok, so this is chapter two, an for those of you who decided to read this far: Thank You! I can only assume that means you like it! **

**Disclaimer: Again, I do not own Hey Arnold!, Craig Bartlett does. If I did, I would be writing scripts, not fan fiction.**

**Note: Phoebe speaks Japanese in this chapter (Konichiwa). This translates loosely to "Good afternoon" or "Good day".**

Chapter 2

A few days later Helga was still replaying the whole beach incident. Although the part about kissing Arnold still made her both cringe and sigh, the rest of the day had been pretty good. She still couldn't believe he'd invited her over for dinner.

However, they hadn't discussed what day, and Helga certainly wasn't going to just up and call the boarding house! So instead she spent the days willing the phone to ring.

And today was no different; after breakfast Helga lay sprawled on her back, laying on her bed, staring at the phone.

"Criminy! Why won't he call? I'd say that he didn't mean the invite seriously, but Arnold's not the type to invite someone somewhere and then just forget about the whole thing. He's probably just busy. And I'm a head case" she sighed.

Helga rolled onto her stomach and pulled a small pink book and pen from under her mattress and proceeded to start the beginnings of yet another poem. But just as she was setting her pen to the paper, the phone rang. A small shriek escaped Helga.

"Could...could it be? Arnold?" she whispered his name, afraid to jinx it. Her heart was pounding like a thunder storm, and with a shaking hand she lifted the phone from it's base.

"H-hello? Um, Pataki residence" '_Geez, where did that come from?' _As if she actually answered the phone like that!

But Helga immediately snapped to attention when a familiar voice met her ears.

"Um, hi. Helga? It's...it's Arnold" came his slightly cautious voice, "H-how are you?"

Helga nearly exploded as one of her smaller fantasies actually came true. '_Arnold is CALLING me! Of his own free will! Ok, chill Helga. Whatever you do, do NOT act like a crazy, lovesick fool. Just be normal. But try to be nice. You __can_ _do this Helga!'_

"Um, hi Arnold. I'm alright, how about you?" _'There, that was good' _she thought.

"I'm pretty good, thanks. So, uh, you're probably wondering why I called, huh?"

"I am a bit curious, Football Head, seeing as you almost never call me. So, what can Helga G. Pataki do for you?"

She could almost hear the blush in his voice when he spoke,

"Well, um, I was just wondering...I mean, like I said at the beach...well...Helga, would you like to come over for dinner tomorrow night?" he finally finished. Helga immediately felt her world spin in joyous circles. She almost spun in circles herself! _'Arnold just asked me to dinner!'_ she thought happily. Before she could go full on monologue though, she mentally smacked herself and turned her attention back to the conversation at hand, and replied

"Um, sure. Sounds fun! So, is this a formal occasion? Should I be searching for a dress as we speak?" she asked with a hint of sarcasm in her voice...and a little seriousness. She wasn't sure at all what to wear to dinner at ARNOLD'S HOUSE.

"No", Arnold said with a small laugh, "It's not formal. Just wear whatever you want, Helga."

"Oh, um, ok. Thanks Arnold." _'Great. Not exactly helpful, Football Head.' _Helga inwardly griped, '_I'll have to call Phoebe ASAP!'_

"No problem Helga."

A pause stretched between them for a minute, until Arnold said

"So, um, see you around five tomorrow Helga?"

"Sounds good Arnold."

Another pause stretched between them. It seemed like eons before Arnold finally said something.

"Um...well, I guess I should go help my Grandpa with some chores. So, I'll, uh, see you tomorrow?"

"That's the plan I guess."

"Ok, well, uh, bye Helga."

"Bye Arnold."

Helga hung up the phone and groaned,

"Criminy! I sounded like an IDIOT! And he still asked me over?" Then the entirety of the situation hit Helga again.

"Arnold...asked me...to dinner...at his HOUSE!" Helga immediately grabbed the phone again and dialed Phoebe's number at lightning speed.

"Konichiwa, Heyerdahl residence." chirped Phoebe.

"Phoebe! I need your help immediately!" Helga practically yelled into the phone.

"Helga? Is that you?"

"Yes it's me, Phoebe, and I'm having a crisis!"

"Ok Helga, first, please stop yelling. Second, try to calm down. What is your crisis?" Helga lowered her voice back to a normal level before continuing,

"You're not going to believe this, Phoebe, but ARNOLD asked me to have dinner _AT HIS HOUSE __**TOMORROW**__NIGHT_!" Helga unconsciously raised her voice and emphasis with every word, until she was practically yelling again.

"Oh Helga, that's wonderful! But...I'm afraid I do not see your crisis. How is this bad?"

"This it_self_ isn't bad, Pheebs, but my problem is..." She paused for a moment as the true girliness of what she was about to say made her cringe a little; she sounded like...well frankly she sounded like Olga.

"...I have no idea what to wear." She finished with a sigh.

"Oh Helga, I'm sure Arnold doesn't care what you wear! Just wear something that you're comfortable in."

"Phoebe," Helga said slowly, trying not to be too upset with her best friend's lack of understanding at the sheer magnitude of what she had just said, "Sure Arnold probably doesn't care, but it's the first time I'm going to really be alone with him and his family, and I want to make a good impression. I can't just wear my normal everyday outfit; it has to be something...special, you know?"

"Well," Phoebe said after a moment of thought, "What if you wore that outfit from Valentine's Day a few years ago? That was awfully nice, and you've never worn it since." "That's because if I wear it around Arnold he's BOUND to recognize me as Cecil, and then he'll start asking questions that I'm not ready to answer yet!"

"Well..." Phoebe thought some more; Helga did have a point after all, "What if you just wore one of the pieces from that outfit? like just the shirt or skirt?"

Helga thought for a moment; would Arnold recognize even that? '_Nah, Hair Boy's too dense to recognize just one piece, right? Yeah, of course. That'll work!'_

"Thanks Phoebe, you're a genius!"

"Arigato Helga. So, um, if you don't mind my asking...how did the _Babe Watch_ filming go?"

"Oh Phoebe it was wonderful! And the best part was..." Helga had to take a deep breath before saying the next part aloud for the first time since it happened, "...I kissed Arnold!" She resisted the urge to dissolve into giggles and squeals of happiness.

"Oh Helga, that's great! And, um, did Arnold appear to...reciprocate the gesture?"

"That's the best part; It was part of the script! So technically, I had to; there was no reason for him to question anything! Well, except for the part where I kinda...prolonged the kiss. A lot."

"Oh, and how did Arnold react to you doing so?" Phoebe asked in a calm voice, knowing very well that Helga was bound to get quite overexcited if she did not.

"Well, I kind of ran off after that, and he did try to ask me something while I was getting my bag, but I cut him off before he could really say anything, although that might have been about inner. Anyway, he hasn't brought it up since."

"Ok, well, I think it's safe to say that Arnold will not bring it up, at least not soon. He probably sensed that you were uncomfortable with the topic, and I'm sure he will respect that. Arnold is generally quite understanding."

"You're right, Pheebs, just like always. I'm just making myself crazier than I already am, aren't I?"

"Oh Helga, you aren't crazy. You just have very strong feelings, and you are expressing them in the only way you know how."

"Phoebe, have you been talking to Dr. Bliss? Because I swear she said something just like that to me not too long ago."

"She is a very smart woman, Helga, and you are very smart yourself. I'm sure whatever happens you will do what is best."

"Thanks Pheebs. Well, I should go figure out what I'm wearing tomorrow. After all, I'm probably going to change my mind at least three times." Helga said with a small laugh.

"Alright, Helga. If you need anymore help I'd be happy to offer my assistance, however at two I have a fencing lesson, so I will not be available for that hour."

"Ok, thanks again. Have fun at fencing!"

"You're welcome Helga. I'll talk to you later."

Helga hung up the phone and headed to her closet, already mulling over the options. '_Hmm...Phoebe has a good point with the Cecil outfit; it's something sort of new, and if I just wear one part of it Arnold probably won't notice that it's the same as Cecil's. I just wish I had that other shoe! Oh well, let's get to this." _She slowly combed through her closet, starting at the front. She dismissed all of her school clothes immediately, and pushed farther towards the back. Finally she found the Cecil outfit way in the back, next to the costume from _Romeo & Juliet_.

'_Hmm...shirt or skirt?' _Helga wondered. '_On the one hand, I could wear the skirt, but I think the only thing I have to go with it is white shirts. Or this shirt, but that's not an option. Maybe I could raid Olga's closet full of stuff she left behind. Anyway, on the other hand, if I wear the shirt, again, all I have is jeans so I'd either have to "borrow" from Olga or veto that idea'_.

Suddenly something occurred to her: the shirt was long sleeved.

"I'd melt!" she said aloud. '_Well, I guess that means I'm wearing the skirt. Oh Olgaaa! May I borrow something from your closet? I may? Why thank you!'_ Helga chuckled as she made her way down the hall to her sister's old room.

Although Olga no longer lived at home, her room was still as pink and frilly as it always was. Opening Olga's closet Helga was practically smacked in the face with lace and frills.

"Ugh! Is there even anything wearable in here?" she muttered as she began pawing her way through the closet.

"No...no...no..." she mumbled as she pushed piece after piece of ugly clothing further down the closet bar.

"No...no...n-" she stopped short at a simple white blouse with slightly ruffled sleeves. It had a pink ribbon woven through the neckline that perfectly matched the pink in the skirt.

"Hello perfect! This is just what I needed! Who knew Olga could actually have decent clothes in here?"

Helga ran back to her room and laid the skirt and shirt out on her bed.

"Ok, so I've got this much, but it seems...plain. It needs something..." She ran back to Olga's room and this time started sorting through her jewelry box. She didn't want anything big and gaudy looking, which was pretty much everything in there. Just something simple to add to the outfit.

After a few minutes of searching through the mess of accessories, Helga found a small silver necklace with a shooting star pendant. It was small, about a half an inch long, and was inscribed with the word "Dream".

"Wow. This is beautiful; it's so simple, but it's...it's really pretty." Helga said softly, "And I am quite the dreamer, aren't I?" She smiled and closed the jewelry box, then clasped the necklace around her neck. Well, she tried, but it wasn't working quite the way she had planed.

"Darn clasp! Even the latch on my Arnold locket isn't this hard!"

Finally she gave up and just brought it back to her room. She laid the necklace on top of the shirt, then eyed the whole outfit critically.

"Hmm...it still...needs...oh! I know!" Helga exclaimed, and proceeded to run to her own closet this time.

"They're here somewhere...I know they're in here...they have to be! Hmm...AHA!" She triumphantly raised the pair of white stockings above her head. They were left over from the time she impersonated a Campfire Lass (and what a nightmare THAT was). She laid them on the end of her bed, under the skirt, and finished the outfit off with a pair of pink shoes.

"Perfect! Watch out, Arnold, here comes Helga!" she giggled. Careful not to wrinkle anything, Helga gathered the outfit in her arms and hung it up in her closet. She set the shoes under it with the socks folded next to them and hung the necklace on the shirt hanger. Satisfied with her work she was about to go back to the writing that she had started earlier, when a thought came to her. Just having the perfect outfit wouldn't be enough; it needed something special to make absolutely sure she didn't ruin the night, and her once-in-a-lifetime chance to show Arnold that she really could be nice.

Helga ran down stairs while pulling on her shoes; there was no time to waste!


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow, thank you everyone for the wonderful reviews! I love reading them, and I'm so glad this is so well received! I promise to update as fast as I can :) **

**Disclaimer: Hey Arnold! is not mine, it belongs to Craig Bartlett. Thanks for creating Hey Arnold, Mr. B!**

Chapter 3

Quite out of breath, Helga arrived at her destination: the library. She hadn't been here since the...monkeynucleosis incident. Mentally cringing at how close she came to spilling her secret to Arnold, she pushed open the heavy wooden doors.

She walked over to the card catalogue sitting right in the back corner by her favorite chair. Smiling as she thought of all the poetry books she had read in this chair she turned to the card catalogue.

"Hello old friend. Can you help me find another book?" It took almost an hour of searching, but finally Helga found what she wanted. True, she could have just asked the librarian where she could find the book she was looking for, but she preferred to keep things of this nature private. At least until checkout.

"Ah, '_Potions, Spells, and Charms for Love and Happiness'_" She said, pleased with finding the book she had (secretly) read many times, "If this doesn't have what I need than I'm sunk."

Glancing around to make sure no one she knew would see her, Helga hurried over to the checkout desk.

"Hello, Helga. How are you?" said the woman at the desk. She was a small woman, with long blond hair that she kept in a single braid down her back. She and Helga were good friends, and although she did not know the details, she knew that Helga was in what one might call a "rough place" in the love department. Helga didn't like to talk about it too much, but it was helpful having someone who didn't think she was _too_ strange for checking out books about spells.

"Hi Agnes. I'm great, how about you?" Helga asked as she placed the book on the desk along with her library card.

"Oh I'm pretty good, thank you for asking. So, would I be correct in assuming that you have another little plan in the works that requires this book?" She gave Helga a small wink, as if they were co-conspirators.

"Something of that sort" Helga said quietly, "Let's just say that my luck has changed in that department for the better, an I want to make sure it stays that way."

"How lovely Helga! I do hope things keep going well for you!"

"Thanks! I hope things go well, too; I've only got one day to make all the preparations, so I'll need all the help I can get! See you later, Agnes!" Helga called as she made her way out the door. Once on the street, she ran all the way back to her house.

Once Helga was back in her room she close the door tightly behind her, then wedged a chair under the doorknob to make sure that, should either of her parents actually remember her existence, they couldn't just walk in on her.

She tucked the book under her arm and opened her closet. She set up the latter to the trap door that led to her attic (and her current Arnold shine). She gathered her dinner outfit in one arm and made her way up to her secret sanctuary.

Helga laid her outfit on the floor in front of her shrine, then sat down in front of it.

"Ok, let's see...there's got to be some kind of spell or charm or something that will guarantee that everything will be perfect tomorrow." she said while flipping through the book,

"No...not that one...or that one...or that one...this one! '24 hour luck charm' this is perfect!" she ran her finger down the page looking for the list of items she'd need.

"Let's see...lilac flowers, salt, a four-leaf clover, a piece of gold, and seven grains of rice. Well, the salt and rice won't be hard, and I think I saw some lilacs at the park, but how on earth am I going to get a four-leaf clover and GOLD? Oh well, I guess I'll worry about that later; I _need_ to make this charm for tomorrow or who knows what could go wrong!"

Helga closed the book and returned to the main part of her room and pulled a piece of paper out of one of her school notebooks. After writing down the things she needed she tucked it into her pocket, next to her Arnold locket. Walking down the stairs, she almost made it out the front door when she heard her mother call from the living room.

"Helga? Is that you?" she called in a tired voice.

"Yes Miriam"

"Where are you going?"

"I dropped out of school to join a circus as a shark diver, and I have to go to practice."

"That's nice, dear. Have fun."

Helga rolled her eyes and opened the door, muttering "Typical. Nice parenting, Miriam."

Once she was at the park, Helga pulled out her list. Just as she thought, there was a lilac bush right near the north entrance, and it was easy enough to pull off a few flowers.

"Ok, so what do I need next? I think we have salt at home, so I guess that means the next thing I need is a four-leaf clover. Well, this shouldn't be too hard, right?" In reality, it was quite hard; after forty-five minutes of searching, Helga had found nothing. Just as she was about to give up and move to a different part of the park, she hear a very familiar voice behind her.

"Hi Helga. Um...are you looking for something?" Arnold asked behind her.

"Arnold!" Helga yelped and jumped to her feet, "W-what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was just taking a walk, and when I saw you on the ground like that I thought you might be looking for something, and if you were I was going to offer to help you find it."

Helga quickly tried to think of a reason, _any reason_, that she was on the ground like that. Coming up empty she decided to just go with the truth.

"Oh, well I was kind of looking for something, but it's not that important."

"What were you looking for, Helga?" Arnold asked.

"Just a four-leaf clover". Seeing Arnold's confused expression she continued "It was kind of a challenge I set for myself. Yeah, that's it! I was trying to find at least one four leaf clover on my walk."

"Oh, well would you like any help?" Arnold asked, thankfully being dense enough to buy her feeble response.

"Um..." '_Should I? Eh, what the hey' _"Sure, Arnold. Some help would be nice." '_Hey, if anything I'll find one sooner, right?'_

After what seemed like forever, Helga was just about ready to give up when Arnold called to her triumphantly.

"Hey Helga! I found one!"

"Really?" She asked, running over.

"Yeah, see?" And indeed, right in front of them was a perfect four-leaf clover.

"Oh Arnold! Thanks for helping me! I didn't think I'd _ever_ find one." Helga leaned down to pick the small green plant. But, just as she tucked it in her pocket, a very important, very _secret_ locket fell out on the grass.

"Hey what's that?-"

"NO!" Helga dove at Arnold just as he was reaching for her locket, which had thankfully landed face down in the grass, concealing the photo that it held. The two fell over in the very awkward position of Helga on top of Arnold.

"Ow, Helga, what was that for?" Arnold asked, rubbing his head that had hit the ground rather hard when Helga tackled him.

"Sorry Arnold. I just...I mean..." She couldn't think of an excuse for attacking him like that. She quickly jumped off of him and grabbed her locket, careful to hide the picture from his line of vision. She helped him up, then tried again with her excuse.

"Sorry, it's just..." '_come on, brain! think of SOMETHING!' _"Um...that's my..." Finally she gave up, "Look Arnold, I can't tell you what that thing is, or why I don't want you to see it. Can we just leave it at that? Please?" '_Please let him just say yes! just go with it, Football Head, please!"_

Thankfully, weather because Helga's telepathy worked or he just decided not to push, Arnold did indeed drop the subject.

"Ok, Helga. If it's that important to you than you don't have to tell me; I was just asking."

"Thanks Foo-...um Arnold. That really means a lot to me."

"No problem, Helga. So, was there anything else you were looking for that I could help with?" Arnold asked, clearly hoping that if she indeed was looking for something more she would let him help.

"Um, actually, that's all I was looking for" Helga said, inwardly hating that she didn't need _something_ more just so Arnold could continue helping her like he obviously wanted, "Sorry, Arnold".

"That's ok, Helga. Well, I should probably be getting back to the boarding house anyway. So...I'll, uh, see you tomorrow?"

"That you will, Head Boy, that you will" Helga said, though she gave Arnold a smile to show that she didn't mean it as an insult, just a joke between friends, which he thankfully understood.

The two parted ways, and headed to their respective homes, Arnold slightly confused at Helga actually being nice (even though he always knew she wasn't really as mean as she might have people believe), and Helga happy beyond belief that she and Arnold had been able to have a conversation without her yelling at him or insulting him too much. However, in the back of her mind there was still the little nagging voice telling her that she probably wouldn't be that lucky tomorrow without this charm she had to make, and she still needed gold of all things!


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! Once again I have to say thanks for the reviews, both compliments and criticisms. I'm trying to apply that to the future chapters. So this chapter is a little short (sorry), but I'm going to post number five as soon as I edit it, so it should be up today. Thank you to everyone who is giving this story of mine a chance! **

**Disclaimer: Craig Bartlett owns Hey Arnold, but I own the idea for this story :)**

Chapter 4

Back home once more, Helga sat on her bed wracking her brain for a solution to this gold dilemma. She had been sitting there for about twenty minutes, and she was about to give up and see if she could find a different charm to help her. Dismayed, she pulled her Arnold locket out of her pocket and proceeded to launch into a monologue.

"Oh Arnold, what am I to do? Am I doomed to enter your wondrous home tomorrow with nothing but my own will to assure that I do not lash out in a petty attempt to hide how I truly feel? So close, and yet so far to the one assurance I had to promise an evening of, if not love, at least friendship! This charm could be the difference between you finally seeing and, dare I say it? Possibly even accepting my soft, mushy core, and me driving you far away from me once more. An after you helped me find a four-leaf clover for the charm, too! Oh, such chivalry! No matter how often I berate and mock you, still you rush to my aid instantly! And yet, still I push you away. Oh cruel fate, how you mock me! How do I show Arnold that that kiss on the beach was not just acting, but an unspoken confession of my love? How do I show him the real me? The one who loves him more than anything on earth, that builds shrines to him and carries his picture with her constantly! Oh Arnold, if only I weren't so shy, I could have just shown you my locket today when it dropped right in front of your beautiful eyes! Then I could finally confess to everything else, and we could run away into the sunset, and live happily ever after! A fairy tale come true! Oh how I dream of the day that you can see me for who I truly am! On that day, I swear I'll show you and tell you everything, from the poems to the locket, to the-" She suddenly stopped and looked at the locket that she currently held in her hands.

"That's it! My locket is gold! Well, at least gold-colored, which has to count for something, right? Oh Arnold, there is hope! And it even has your picture in it, with will undoubtedly add even more power to the charm!"

Tucking her locket back in her pocket and grabbing the rest of her ingredients, Helga ran to her closet and shut the door behind her. She climbed up the step-ladder carefully, which was no small feat considering she had to balance a bag of salt, flowers, and the four-leaf clover in one hand.

"Criminy", She mumbled as she dragged herself into her attic space, "I should really try to rig a pulley system by the entrance here to haul up stuff as opposed to carrying it! What am I, Wonder Woman?"

Setting down her items, she opened the charm book once more to the page she had marked and read aloud the first step in creating her charm.

"Step 1: Lay a small drawstring pouch out flat to hold your charm." After looking through her boxes of shrine items that she kept nearby, Helga produced a small pouch that had originally held a bracelet Olga had given her for some birthday or other. She went back to the small space on the floor where she was working in front of her outfit for the next night.

"Ok, what's next? Step 2: Place the lilac flowers, four-leaf clover, and gold piece in the pouch." Helga did as the instructions said, gently kissing her locket for luck before placing it in the pouch.

"Ok, last step. Step 3: Sprinkle the salt in a circle around the rest of your items, then pull the bag shut. **Important!:** Your luck will last from the time you close the bag until 24 hours after you do so. Wait to add the salt and close the bag until 24 hours before you want your luck to end."

Helga looked at the little clock she kept near the trap door entrance; it read 2:45 pm.

"Well, if I'm eating at Arnold's at Five tomorrow, then I should wait to finish this right before I leave, that way it will be super fresh and last as long as possible."

With that, she left everything in place and spent the rest of the day writing poetry and dreaming of the wonderful dinner she and Arnold...and the rest of his family, would share the following night.

The next day, Helga was a wreck; she had spent most of the night tossing and turning and worrying about today. As much as she had planned everything, she still couldn't control the future, and fate often liked to mess with her.

After spending all day pacing, worrying, calling Phoebe for advice, and just plain panicking, it was finally 3:45 in the afternoon and Helga could not wait one more second to finish her charm just to have _something_ to do! She practically ran up her latter and threw herself at the book. She reread the last step, then sprinkled the salt all around the things in the center, and closed the bag. Then she took the whole thing a step further: she touched the luck charm to every single inch of her outfit, front and back.

Satisfied with her work, she got dressed and tucked the charm she had made in her pocket.

"Ok, Helga old girl, it's time to walk to Arnold's house. You can do this, Helga, it's not a big deal. You're just going to Arnold's for dinner. Oh boy..." she let out a sigh. Carefully climbing down the latter, she emerged from the closet and stepped over to her mirror. She scrutinized her outfit from top to bottom, making sure everything was perfect. Suddenly she grabbed her hairbrush and attacked her pigtails, brushing them until she was satisfied that they were smooth.

"Alright, now I'm...ready. As I'll ever be, that is." Taking a deep breath, Helga stepped into the hallway and began walking towards the stairs. Before she began her descent, though, she had an idea. She turned and ran to Olga's room, shutting the door behind her upon arrival.

"I know she's got to have some somewhere..." Helga mumble as she dug through the drawers of Olga's vanity. As she continued her search it occurred to her how comical it was that as much as she and Olga did not get along, she had visited Olga's room quite a bit in the past day.

"Aha! I found it!" she said triumphantly, holding the small tube above her head in victory. Yes, as much as it would shock the world, Helga G. Pataki was voluntarily wearing lip gloss. She spread the pale pink, pearly substance on her lips and pondered how she liked it. This was her first time trying it, after all.

"Hmm...I like it. It's not as gooey as I thought it might be. And it tastes like...huh, what is this, anyway?" she looked at the label on the tube, "Candy Lips brand Pomegranate Pizzazz. Oh good grief, could Olga pick a _more_ sickening brand? Jeez! Oh well, at least it tastes good. As long as no one sees me with it, I'm fine."

Pocketing the lip gloss, Helga walked back into the hallway and down the stairs. However, she stopped at the door.

"Ok Helga, you _can_ do this. Everything will be _fine_." With these words and a deep breath , Helga opened the door and stepped onto the sidewalk, and began the not-so-long walk to the Sunset Arms boarding house.

**A/N**

**Also, I meant to put this with the last chapter, but I forgot. Anyway, I know Helga's shrine isn't in an attic space, but I felt like if she could have it in a space like that then she would love it. I mean, it would be really easy for someone to find it just in the back of her closet (assuming anyone cared to look), so since it is my story, I decided to give Helga this as a gift :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! See, I told you I'd get the fifth chapter up today! And, it's the one you've been waiting for! Yep, Helga's going to Arnold's house! But I'm not going to say any more, so read on! Hope you like it! :)**

**Disclaimer: By now I think we know that I do not own Hey Arnold. Thanks for creating it, though, Craig!**

Chapter 5

Helga arrived at the boarding house at exactly 4:55 pm. She was technically five minutes early, and she wasn't quite sure what to do. Just when she was deciding to just sit on the steps for the remainder of the time, the door opened.

"Hi Helga," Arnold said with his trademark smile, "How are you?"

"Uh, good. How about you? Sorry I'm early by the way." Helga said, mildly blushing but trying to hide it.

"I'm good, thanks. Don't worry about being early, Helga. Dinner's actually running a little late, but we can go listen to some music or something if you want." He waited to see how she would react to his suggestion, expecting her to make a sarcastic remark.

Helga, however, took a moment to respond, making sure her response was one that was genuine, not one based on impulse,

"That sounds nice, Arnold. What kind of music do you have?"

"Um, mostly Dino Spumoni, but I could probably find something else if you would prefer." Arnold said, slightly amazed that she responded directly to the suggestion.

"No, that's fine, Arnold."

"Alright."

The two made their way inside and, after saying hello to Phil and Gertie, headed up to Arnold's room. Arnold opened the door to his room and gestured that Helga should enter, then followed her in. Helga took a moment once she was inside just to revel in the fact that she was in Arnold's room, and with his knowledge and permission! Sure, she had been in here several times before, but those times generally involved ropes, air vents, and on one occasion behind Arnold's couch.

Arnold picked up the remote from his side table and pushed a few buttons. Seconds later the couch flipped out, the lights turned on, and Dino Spumoni began playing from the sound system on the self across the room. Helga couldn't help but be impressed at just how much that little remote could do,

"Wow, I didn't know you had your whole room rigged to that little remote, Arnold. How'd you do that?"

"Oh, well Grandpa helped me with most of it. I just came up with the idea...and I wired the sound system." Arnold said, blushing.

"Good grief, Arnold, this is amazing!" Helga exclaimed.

"Uh, thanks Helga." Arnold mumbled, "So, um, do you want to sit?"

"Sure."

The two sat down on the couch together, but soon a somewhat awkward silence descended on them.

"You, uh, you look really nice, Helga," Arnold said tentatively, "Is that a new outfit?"

'_He noticed!'_ Helga thought excitedly '_He noticed my outfit! Oh happy day!'_ However, to Arnold she said "Yep, I bought a whole new outfit, just for you Hair Boy! You're just that special! No, it's not new. Well, kind of; I had the skirt, and I borrowed the top from Olga."

"Well it looks great. You look great." He said sincerely. Not accustom to receiving compliments, Helga could do nothing in response but sit there blushing, though she desperately hope Arnold couldn't tell. Arnold as well was blushing, but for a different reason. '_I can't believe I just said that!'_ He thought '_And what's more, she didn't get defensive about it! Oh, but now she's blushing. Great, I made her uncomfortable! Now she's going to hate me even more than she already does! She's never going to agree to hang out with me again, and things were going so well! That is, until I had to go and mess things up.' _

They sat in silence again, still just as awkward as before if not more so. Just as Helga was thinking that if Arnold didn't say something soon, herself having _no_ idea what to say, she was going to scream, he did just that.

"So, uh, I'm really glad you agreed to come over for dinner, Helga. Honestly I sort of thought you would...well, that you would laugh at me when I asked." ' _Please don't let me mess this up any more than I already have!'_ Arnold silently pleaded.

Helga hadn't been expecting that; it took her a moment to form a decent response,

"Uh, yeah, well...like you said, at the beach we had fun. And I'm not totally heartless! I wouldn't have laughed."

"Really?" Arnold asked, truly wondering if she would have.

"Of course not. Any other day I might have asked if you had a head injury, but what can I say? I was having a good day." she responded. After a moment Helga screwed up her courage and asked the question that had been nagging at her for a while now,

"So...you're really happy that you invited me over, Arnold? Even though at this point we have pretty much nothing to talk about?" she tried to make it sound like casual question, but her voice could not quite mask how much she really needed to know that he didn't regret this.

"Of course I am, Helga', Arnold said. He fought the urge to put an arm around her for comfort, but he knew she needed more than just that small affirmation,

"It doesn't matter that we haven't had much to talk about; it actually makes sense since we haven't had much chance to hang out and get to know each other. And, um, well to tell you the truth..." he couldn't believe he was about to tell her this, "I was a little nervous about today."

Helga was stunned; mister always positive and sunny had been nervous? About her coming over for dinner? '_Well at least I know I wasn't being a total basket case about this. If Arnold was nervous just like me, then I can't be too messed up, right?'_

"You were nervous? I was nervous!" '_Did I just say that __out loud__?'_ Helga thought the moment the words left her mouth. '_Great. Just great. Nice Helga, prove to him you're out of your mind!'_ But what Arnold said next surprised her,

"Why were you nervous, Helga? I don't see why you would have any reason to be worried."

"Well...just...and I...I...I was worried I would say or do something embarrassing and act like a spazz, and then you'd think I was crazy or something." '_I CAN'T BELIEVE I JUST ADMITTED THAT!'_ Helga thought, panicked.

"Helga..." she braced herself for whatever he was about to say, "I can't believe you would be worried about something like that. I would never think you're crazy. I'd just tell you that everyone makes mistakes, and then we could just move past it."

"Really?" She asked.

"Really" He said, giving her a warm smile.

'_He smile at me! Oh how long I've dreamed of...no, no Helga! Focus on the moment!'_ She stopped herself mid monologue. Then something else drifted into her mind.

"Hey, why were you worried, Arnoldo? You never do anything embarrassing!" Arnold blushed lightly before replying,

"Well...I was actually worried about the borders. They can be a little...eccentric, and I don't want them to make you uncomfortable. In fact, I apologize in advance if any of them does something to make tonight anything less than perfect." Helga was shocked; she wasn't sure what to say, even think! '_He was worried that...and he said...perfect...oh my wonderful little Football Head! You want tonight to go well just as much as I do, yet you have nothing to worry about. I, however, have everything...'_

"Arnold, I...thank you." she finally said.

"Sure Helga, no problem. Oh, and try not to worry too much about dinner; the borders really aren't that bad. Everything will be fine." Arnold assured her. Just then there was a knock at the door, and Grandpa Phil appeared from behind it.

"Hey Short Man! Just letting you know supper's ready, and the borders are mighty excited to meet your girlfriend" he chuckled at the last part.

"Grandpa! Do you have to keep saying that? Helga's not my girlfriend. But thanks for letting us know about dinner; we'll be there in a minute, ok?" Arnold asked.

"Sure Short Man, you two take all the time you need. But don't take too long, or that rat Kokoschka will eat everything in the house. Speaking of which..." and with that, Phil turned around and ran back downstairs to make sure Oskar wasn't eating more than his share. Arnold turned from the door and looked at Helga apologetically,

"Sorry about my Grandpa, Helga. He's been teasing me about having my "girlfriend" over for dinner since I invited you".

"It's alright, Arnold" Helga said, "Besides, I like your Grandpa. Your Grandma, too."

"Ok, thanks Helga. So, shall we go to dinner then?"

"Lead the way, Hair B-...um, Arnold" Helga said, mentally smacking herself when she almost used one of her ever popular nicknames for him.

Walking into the dining room, Arnold introduced Helga to all of the borders. Just as he was finishing, his grandma walking in carrying a big bowl of mashed potatoes and singing when she spotted Helga,

"Oh hello, Eleanor! I haven't seen you since you had to rush out the window on White House business. How are you?" Helga froze; Eleanor was what Arnold's grandma had called her when she had sleepwalked into Arnold's kitchen. Arnold pulled out her chair, seemingly oblivious to what his grandmother said,

"Don't worry, Helga" he said quietly as she sat down, "She says weird stuff like that sometimes. Just play along." '_Whew, thank goodness Arnold didn't remember that his grandma mentioned "Eleanor" before'_ Helga thought.

The rest of the meal went smoothly, save for an incident when Arnold and Helga both reached for the lemonade pitcher at the same time, which resulted in a brief moment where it looked like they were holding hands (the borders, namely Oscar, Ernie, and Mr. Huynh, just couldn't pass up the chance to tease the two kids); other than that, everything went well. That is, until Helga offered to help clear the table,

"Helga, you really don't have to help. Grandpa and I can get it" Arnold said as he, grandpa, and Helga carried dishes out to the kitchen.

"Arnold" Helga said in an overly patient voice, "I was part of the meal, just like you. Therefore, if you help clear the table afterward, then so do I."

"But Helga, you're the guest!"

"Arnold, guest or not I'm going to help!"

"Ok, whatever you say, Helga." Arnold sighed.

"That's right Arnoldo, whatever I say!" Helga smiled as she placed the dishes in the sink, "So, you wanna wash or dry Hair Boy?"

"Helga, you don't have to-" he was cut off by the look Helga gave him that clearly stated that she was not going to put up with his insistence that she was the "guest" much longer.

"Ah, don't worry about the dishes Short Man!" Phil said with a chuckle, "You go have fun with your friend."

"Ok, thanks Grandpa!" and with that, the two headed back up to Arnold's room.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello everyone! Thank you ****SO**** much for all of the wonderful reviews! I love reading them, and they always brighten my day. Sorry I took so long uploading this chapter, but I ha a busy weekend :) Anyway, this chapter was one of my favorite to write so far because it has a cute little scene right in the beginning. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold, as I'm sure we know by now. If I owned this wonderful show, we would have TJM and a high school-age spin-off where our OTPs could be real ;)**

Chapter 6

Back up in Arnold's room things were much more calm than they had been before dinner. Arnold was in the middle of telling a story about the time his grandma tried to teach him to dance when the song they had used happened to come on his sound system,

"Hey Helga, this is the song Grandma used when she was teaching me! How about that?" At this an idea popped into Helga's mind, but she wasn't sure she had the guts to act on it; on the one hand it could make one of her dreams come true, but on the other hand it could lead to the most humiliating moment of her life. Although she would probably regret it for the rest of her life, she heard herself say the most bold thing she had ever said in front of Arnold:

"Hey, Arnold? Will you dance with me?" '_I should have said that differently! Who am I kidding, I shouldn't have said it AT ALL! Way to blow the secret, Helga! You could have just kept quiet like a __smart_ _person, but NO. You had to go and ACT on your fantasies! Now what? He's going to figure out that you like him! Stupid, Helga, stupid!'_

"What?" Arnold asked, surprise by her request.

"Um, hehe, what I mean is..." '_Think, think!'_ "...um, well you did all that practicing. Show me your skills, Hair Boy!" Helga said.

Arnold froze for a minute; it was true that his grandma had taught him to dance, but he didn't think he would need to know how until at least middle school. Being put on the spot like this made him nervous. But he knew Helga wanted proof that he could dance (why else would she ask?), so he didn't have a choice.

"Um, sure, Helga. I mean, if you want to." With that Arnold stood and offered his hand to Helga. Wordlessly she took it, inwardly trembling like a leaf though she kept her cool on the outside. '_Arnold is going to dance with me. ARNOLD is going to DANCE with ME! Ok, Helga, stay calm. Whatever you do, do __not_ _mess this up!'_

Arnold pulled her to the middle of the room and restarted the song so that they could dance to all of it. He shyly guided Helga's hands to his shoulders while mumbling "Put your hands here", then hesitantly placed his arms around her. Slowly, awkwardly, the two began dancing around Arnold's room. After a few minutes, however, they fell into sync; they connected in a way that they hadn't before, just for a moment, through the music. As Arnold twirled Helga around the room, something in the back of his mind didn't say "I'm dancing with Helga G. Pataki, the girl who picks on me day and night", but instead "I'm dancing with Helga Pataki, and I'm having a lot of fun."

The song ended, and as the last strains of music floated through the room the two kids just stood there, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the song had ended. Seconds turned into minutes, and slowly they remembered where they were. Still they just stood there, enjoying each other. Both were happy, but Arnold wasn't quite sure why he was so happy. Helga on the other hand knew darn well why she was so happy! In fact, it took everything she had not to pass out in Arnold's arms right then and there. '_Arnold and I just danced! Arnold danced with me! I danced with Arnold! Oh my gosh, I can't believe I even had the guts to ask him, but I __really_ _can't believe he said yes! And it was wonderful, too! Oh, wow, I can barely breathe, especially with his arms still around me!'_

Arnold wasn't quite aware that his arms were still around Helga, but slowly the feeling of magic wore off for both of them, and he dropped his arms to his sides while Helga clasped hers behind her back. They sat again on the couch, but a bit closer to each other than before, however neither noticed.

"Helga," Arnold said quietly, as if not wanting to disturb the atmosphere of wonder, "You, um, you're a really good dancer." Helga blinked in surprise, processing this.

"Oh, uh, thanks, Arnold. You, uh, you're really good, too."

Suddenly Arnold chuckled,

"You know, this kind of reminds me of April Fools. Remember? We ended up dancing then, too." Helga blushed; of course she remembered that! It had been one of the best days of her life! But at the mention of it, from Arnold no less, brought back memories of that look that he had given her. That look that...she couldn't even describe.

"Uh, yeah. Hehe, that was pretty crazy" she said softly.

"We've had a lot of crazy times, haven't we Helga?" Arnold said. He dared to place his hand on hers, which was now resting on the couch between them. '_Please don't let this end'_ Arnold thought.

'_PLEASE DON'T LET THIS __EVER_ _END!" _Helga thought as every single nerve in her hand lit up at Arnold's touch.

"Um, y-yeah, we've had some...crazy ad-adventures..." Helga said slowly.

"But it's always been fun, huh?" Arnold smiled.

"Yeah..." Helga mumbled. '_Pinch me, I MUST be dreaming!'_

They sat in silence again, but a comfortable one as each thought about their past adventures. After a moment Arnold turned to look at Helga, which caused her to snap out of her thoughts in anticipation of what he might say. But at first he said nothing, and just sat there looking at her. Just as Helga was wondering if she should say something, Arnold said "You know, you really do look pretty, Helga."

"Oh, um...th-thanks Arnold..." she mumbled. '_Wow, I wasn't expecting that! Holy cow Phoebe's going to have quite a bit to hear about later! This is going to feed my poetry for months!'_

"Sorry, Helga" Arnold said, "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I just noticed how nice you looked, and I guess I just couldn't help telling you."

"N-no, it's ok. I mean, I don't get compliments often, so I'm just not real great at accepting them."

"Oh" was all Arnold could think to say.

A while later Helga decided that, much as she didn't want to, she should head home. As Arnold walked her to the door, all she could think was how much she wanted to stay with Arnold all night, content in his arms.

"I'm really glad you came tonight, Helga" Arnold said as he opened the door that let to the front stoop.

"I am, too. What do you know? I actually had fun!" Helga laughed.

"You didn't think you'd have fun?" Arnold asked, genuinely worried.

"Doi! Of course I-" Helga stopped when she realized Arnold really believed her. He didn't usually listed to her sarcasm and teasing, but clearly this time he was serious. And speaking of serious, this situation just became very much so as Arnold, believing Helga's answer to mean she hadn't thought she would have fun tonight, was trying to hide his disappointment.

"Arnold, I didn't mean it like that. Heck, I didn't mean it at all!" She said quickly.

"It's ok, Helga. You don't have to-" Arnold started, but Helga cut him off before he could finish.

"Arnold, stop. Listen to me. I was joking, and I thought you were, too. That's why I said what I said. I didn't mean it! Sheesh, Football Head, don't take everything so seriously!" she paused to breathe, which gave Arnold a chance to speak,

"Helga...the reason I thought you were serious was because you've been that way since you got here. I wasn't expecting it, so I thought you meant it."

"The only reason I haven't been making sarcastic comments all day is because I promised myself I wouldn't!" as soon as she said those words, Helga knew it was a mistake. He was going to ask why now, because she never tried to control her sarcasm around anyone. It was part of who she was.

"Why's that?" Arnold asked, just as she predicted.

"Um, because...because...because I...wanted to...try and...not be so horrible to you since you invite me over! Yeah, that's it! I mean, you didn't _have_ to invite me, but you did. What, you think it would have killed me to be nice for one evening?" She rolled her eyes.

"Well, no, but...I guess I was just expecting it, since it's just how you are. To be honest, I kind of like that about you." Arnold said the last part more softly, but Helga still heard it.

"You _like_ my sarcasm? What on Earth for?" she asked.

"Well, sometimes it makes you a little hard to talk to" Helga scowled, but Arnold seemed not to notice, "But it also makes you who you are. Besides, you say some pretty funny things sometimes!"

Helga was speechless. Arnold thought she was funny? Even when she was being sarcastic in an attempt to hide her deepest secret from him and everyone else? '_Ok, either I'm the luckiest girl on the planet, or Arnold's just as crazy as me!'_ she thought.

"Wow, Arnold, um, thanks." She scuffed her toe in the imaginary dirt on the stoop, "Well, I uh, I guess I should go home."

"It's starting to get pretty dark out, do you want me to walk you home?" Arnold asked.

"Well, there's certainly no _need_ for you to, but if you want to then be my guest. It is a free country after all!" She smirked.

"Ok, let me just let Grandma and Grandpa know." Arnold went inside, and returned a moment later with a small paper bag.

"Grandma made cookies, and she said we could have some to eat while we walk" he explained. He opened the bag as they started walking and offered it to Helga, who happily retrieved a chocolate chip cookie from within.

"Wow, Arnold, your grandma make great cookies!" She exclaimed around a mouthful of melting chocolate.

"Thanks, Helga. I'll tell her you said so! Although it might lead to her baking a dozen or two for me to bring over." He grinned.

"That's fine with me!" Helga replied, taking a second cookie from the bag. Soon they arrived Helga's front door, and Arnold closed the bag of cookies and handed it to Helga.

"Here, Helga, you can keep the rest" he offered.

"You don't want them?"

"No, Grandma probably has at least two more batches at the house."

"Alright, if you're sure. Don't have to tell me twice!" Helga said, taking the cookies.

"Actually, I did, remember?" Arnold chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess you did! Well, you don't have to tell me three times!" Helga joined in his laughter. Just as Arnold's laughter began to fade, he looked at Helga and started laughing again.

"What's so funny now, Hair Boy?" Helga asked, aware that she had been the cause of his new round of laughter. Arnold took a deep breath, then said,

"Sorry, Helga, I didn't mean to laugh. It's just, you've got chocolate on your face, and it looks a little like a mustache." Arnold leaned forward and reached up to gently wipe the chocolate off of her lip. Helga blushed a brilliant shade of pink, and started playing with the hem of her shirt.

"Um, thanks, Arnold. Well, I guess I should go, huh? Thanks for inviting me to dinner. I had a great time!"

"Sure, Helga, I'm glad you had fun! We should hang out again sometime. I mean, if you want to."

"Yeah, that'd be fun." Helga said. Before she could even react, Arnold gave Helga a hug, then turned and started walking down the street waving. Helga wave back, then turned and floated up to her room where she spent the rest of the night writing.

**A/N**

**I'm kinda stuck for the next chapter, so if you could review with an idea it would be greatly appreciated! Also, I promise if I do use an idea suggested by a reader, I'll give you a shout out in the chapter. If you would like to be referred to as something other than your username, please tell me in your review, or you can PM me. Please nothing inappropriate or rude. Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm back! First I must say thank you SO much to Conor Dachisen for the idea for this chapter! You not only sparked this chapter, but my idea for the next! Also, I noticed that I had a comment about the "April Fools" comment from a few chapters back (sorry for not clearing this up before by the way). I did actually check the episode order, but the website I checked was not accurate, and put the AF episode before Summer Love. They didn't list release years, so I assumed it was correct. Sorry for this, but I'm just going to leave it as it is for simplicity's sake, and if you think about it, it makes sense: the character are in fourth grade for pretty much the entire series, so maybe the episode was filmed before SL, but wasn't released until two years later. It could happen, right? Anyway, enjoy this next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold, but you knew that, didn't you?**

Chapter 7

Arnold returned home and opened the door to let Abner and the other animals run outside. In the back of his mind he wondered where those other animals came from, but he didn't worry about it too much; he had more important things on his mind anyway.

He climbed the stairs to the second level of the house and almost bumped into Grandpa Phil who was on his way to the kitchen.

"Oh, hi Grandpa. Sorry, I didn't mean to crash into you." Arnold apologized.

"Oh, that's quite alright, Short Man. I was just on my way to see if there were any of you grandma's cookies left. Did you get your girlfriend home and back alright?"

"Grandpa! Helga's not my girlfriend, she's just my friend." Arnold protested.

"Well she's a girl, too, ain't she?" Phil chuckled.

"Well, yes. But...oh, never mind. Anyway, yeah, everything was fine; she really likes Grandma's cookies." He smiled at the memory of Helga's reaction to the cookies.

"So," Grandpa continued, "Are you going to invite her over again soon? I think she likes you!"

"What? Grandpa, Helga doesn't like me. She hates me!"

"Oh Arnold! Arnold, Arnold, Arnold, she doesn't hate you! Remember I told you about your grandma and I when we were kids? She was just the same. Always picking on me, calling me names, tripping me...well you get the idea. Then one day she just up and told me she loved me! Said she had loved me for years, and that it was a wonder I was so dense as not to see it. Hehe, she said more than once she had wanted to shake me and ask what was wrong with me. Anyway, I wouldn't be so quick with your judgments for Helga; she might just need some time to figure things out."

"Ok, thanks Grandpa. I think I'm going to go up to bed; goodnight, Grandpa."

"Goodnight, Arnold."

Up in his room, Arnold lay on his bed thinking. He kept replaying the dance he and Helga shared, and how much fun he had had that night. He wasn't too used to having fun with Helga, but only because she tended to pick on him. When she wanted to, she could be a very kind and fun person, just like Arnold had always believed. But he couldn't help but think in the back of his football-shaped mind that there was something different about his relationship with Helga. He had friends who were girls, like Phoebe, Sheena, Ronda, Lila, and Nadine, to name a few, but his relationship with Helga felt different than the ones he had with the others. He just couldn't pinpoint why.

After a while Arnold gave up trying to figure it out, and got ready for bed. He changed into his pajamas and climbed into his bed. He fell asleep relatively quickly, but as soon as he did he had a dream...

...He was standing on a beach...no, not just a beach, but the same beach he had been on vacation at with Helga. He could see a figure in the distance who was facing away from him. He walked forward and called out "Hello?".

He stepped up next to the figure, who turned to look at him. It was a girl, a very familiar girl at that.

"Cecil?"

"Hello, Arnold."

"I thought I'd never see you again!"

"Oh Arnold, you still haven't figured it out? You see me almost every day, and you have for years."

"I do? I have?" Arnold was quite confused.

"Yes, Arnold." she said, smiling.

"But, wouldn't I know if I saw you every day?"

"I thought you might, but I guess you never put the pieces together." Suddenly they were in the school auditorium, standing on the stage which was decorated like it had been when they did the play 'Romeo and Juliet'.

"This is a very special place for us. Do you know why?" Cecil asked.

"No, I don't think so. I mean, I remember being Romeo in our school play, but you weren't there...were you?" Arnold was still very confused.

"I was, Arnold, but I guess you still don't understand." They again changed location, now residing in front of Urban Tots Preschool.

"Do you know why this place is important?" Cecil asked.

"Well sure, this is where I went to preschool. I met all of my friends here, Gerald, and Phoebe, and Stinky, and Sid, and Harold, and Helga, and everyone. We've all been in the same class ever since Pre-K, except Lila."

"Yes, you met all of your friends at this place, but right here where we're standing is important, too." Cecil said, almost willing him to understand.

"Um...well, this is where Grandpa dropped me off. I remember it was raining, but I was still excited that I was going to make new friends. Grandpa was telling me to be a good boy, and that he promised that he would be back to pick me up when I was done. He stopped, and we got out..." He trailed off.

"And?" Cecil prompted.

"And Helga was walking down the street. I put my umbrella over her so she didn't get any more wet than she already was. At the time I wondered why she was all alone, but now I know why. Anyway, I said something to her, and then we went inside."

"That's right, Arnold. So do you understand now?"

"I'm sorry, but no. I still don't know how this all fits together."

Cecil sighed, "Alright, Arnold, I give up. If you can't put it all together with all of these hints, there's only one this left that I can say: think about what I've said, and the places we've been, and what they have in common." She produced what looked like a heart-shaped pocket watch from a pocket hidden in her skirt and looked at it, hiding the face of it from Arnold's view, "I need to go now. Goodbye, Arnold." She turned and started walking down the sidewalk.

"Wait! Cecil, will I ever see you again?" Arnold called as he ran after her.

"Arnold, what did I say before? You see me almost every day." she faded into the distance, leaving Arnold standing on the sidewalk alone...

Arnold awoke the next morning feeling very confused. He laid in bed thinking of the vivid dream he had had. 'What did they all have in common...' he thought slowly 'The beach, the school, and the preschool. What did they all have in common?'

Arnold couldn't figure out how everything was related, so he got dressed and went down to breakfast where his grandmother was "hunting".

"Morning Kimba. How did you sleep?"

"Fine Grand-I mean Bwana. How about you?"

"Oh, pretty good, thank you Kimba. I'm afraid breakfast isn't quite ready. I'll get started in just...one...moment...AHA!" she slammed her fly swatter down on the spot where the fly had been, but it flew away just in time and buzzed out the window.

"Rats. Well, I'll get 'em next time." She went over to the sink and washed her hands, then began making bacon and eggs.

"So, Kimba, how's Eleanor? Did you two have a nice walk through the jungle back to camp?" Gertie asked, flipping the bacon and making it sizzle.

It took Arnold a moment to realize that she was talking about he and Helga walking home the night before.

"Uh, yeah, it was fine. Helga, I mean Eleanor wants me to tell you that she thinks your cookies are delicious."

"Well I'll have to make her some then, won't I?" Gertie said with a smile as she handed Arnold his breakfast.

"I'm sure she'd really appreciate that, Grandma."

Arnold was just on his way out the door on an errand for his grandfather when Gertie came out of the kitchen.

"Oh, Arnold, before you leave take this," she handed him a paper bag, "It's some more cookies for your friend. Tell her to enjoy them, and there's plenty more where that came from" she winked.

"Ok, Grandma. I'm sure Helga will love them!" Arnold took the cookies and left. He went to the post office to buy stamps for Grandpa, then went to Helga's house.

He knocked on the door and waited, but no one came to the door. He knocked again, but there was still no answer. Not knowing what else to do, he pulled a piece of paper and a pencil out of his pocket (thankful that he had one) and wrote a note to Helga, which he placed under the bag of cookies. He looked at the house one more time, part of him wishing that Helga would come to the door, or at least look out the window, then turned and headed home.

Helga was in the kitchen looking something to eat, and coming up empty. 'Miriam didn't do any shopping this week, did she? Who am I kidding, she probably hasn't been shopping in a week!' She opened another cupboard, then slammed it in irritation. Suddenly she heard a knock at the door. 'Now who is that? No one ever comes to visit except Phoebe, but she was busy this morning.'

Helga grabbed a chair and put it against the door so she could look through the peephole.

"ARNOLD?!" she gasped. She sat down on the chair and tried to catch her breath. Her heart was pounding, and she felt a little dizzy. Arnold was at her house, by choice assumably. She put the chair back and ran to the bathroom to brush her hair quickly, but when she got back to the door she just couldn't make herself open it. She didn't know what stopped her, but she just couldn't do it. Not wanting to get the chair again, Helga stood on her toes to look through the peephole again; Arnold was gone, but she could see something sitting on the steps. She opened the door and picked up the brown bag and the note that was underneath it.

Helga shut the door behind her and walked up to her room, determined not to read the note until she was on her bed, simply so that she was closer to her pink book. Once she was sitting on her bed, she unfolded the note,

Dear Helga,

Hi Helga,

My grandma was really glad you liked her cookies, so she made you some more. I'm

sorry I missed you today, but maybe, that is if you would want to, we could do something

sometime? We could go to Dino Land, or go to Slausons, or anything really. Anyway, I

hope you have a good day. Enjoy the cookies!

-Arnold

Helga practically fainted with happiness. Arnold had come all this way to give her cookies! And he had even remembered to tell his grandma in the first place! Helga was so happy she almost started crying, but instead she opened the bag and pulled out a cookie that was still a bit warm. She bit into it and savored the wonderful taste on her tongue. Yes, these were definitely the best cookies ever.


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm back again :) Sorry this chapter is a little short, but last night I was struck with an idea for the next chapter, and I didn't want to divide it between this on and the next. It will be up ASAP. Promise :) Thank you all for the reviews! Every time I see a new review I get all excited and happy, like a little kid on Christmas! Reviews are like presents! Thanks again!**

** P.S.**

** I added some poetry to this chapter, and I don't usually write poetry, so please bear with me :)**

**Disclaimer: We know this by now, right? ;)**

Chapter 8

"And then, right after he introduces me to the borders, his grandma comes in and calls me Eleanor!" Helga was on the phone with Phoebe, relaying the previous night's events (she had been too consumed with her writing to have called when she got home), as well as the ones of earlier this morning.

"She mistook you for someone else?" Phoebe questioned.

"No, Eleanor is what she called me when I ended up in Arnold's kitchen that time I was sleepwalking. I'm just glad ol' Football Head didn't seem to remember that little detail; I have no idea how I'd have got out of that one!" Helga cringed again at the thought of having to explain why Arnold's grandmother was calling her by the same name she had used for someone who was supposedly in their kitchen.

"My, Helga, it sounds like you did have quite a close call!" Phoebe said, "I certainly hope you had no other near disasters?"

"Hardly!" Helga scoffed, "Not long after we started eating, Arnold and I accidentally reached for the lemonade pitcher at the same time, and it sort of looked like we were holding hands, and some of the borders started teasing us about it. But Suzie Kokoschka got them under control pretty quick. I swear, that woman could make Bob be quiet!" Helga laughed at the mental image of Suzie Kokoschka standing up to Big Bob like she did the borders, "Anyway, after we cleared the table, which was an event itself when Arnold tried to insist I shouldn't help because I was the guest. I swear, that boy can be too nice sometimes! So we cleared the table and went back up to his room, and he starts telling me about this time his grandma taught him to dance, right? Well then the song they used comes on his sound system, and I actually asked him to dance with me!"

"Gosh, Helga! Wherever did you get the courage to do that?" Phoebe asked in amazement.

"Heck if I know! But the best part comes next: he said yes!"

"Oh Helga! That's wonderful! What was it like?"

"It was amazing, Pheebs! It was like nothing I've ever experienced before! It was even better than April Fools!"

"That's wonderful, Helga!"

"Just wait, Phoebe, there's more!"

"There's more? My, Helga, you had quite the evening, didn't you?"

"Oh yeah! He walked me home, and we snacked on some of the best chocolate chip cookies _ever_ along the way, and when we got there he wiped chocolate off my lip! Then he _hugged_ me! And today he brought me more cookies just because I said they were good!"

"Oh, Helga, it sounds like something out of a dream!" Phoebe gushed.

"Except in your dreams it's you and Tall Hair Boy, right Pheebs?" Helga chuckled.

"Helga!" Phoebe turned bright red at Helga's remark and started sputtering, "I...I mean...I don't...well maybe I...that is..."

"Oh come _on_, Phoebe, I know you like like Gerald! Heck, I'd have to be blind not to know!"

"Really? You don't think Gerald knows, do you?!" Phoebe gasped.

"Relax, Pheebs, Geraldo is even more dense than Arnold. You could write on a truck "Phoebe likes Gerald" in glowing green letter with martians shooting off fireworks, and he wouldn't know." Phoebe let out a small laugh, content that Helga didn't think Gerald knew about the fact that she...liked him more than she wanted to admit (the poor girl could barely admit it to _herself_, let alone Helga or...Gerald!).

After Helga got off the phone with Phoebe she sprawled out on her bed with nothing to do. Her mind began to wonder, and soon turned to memories of the previous night. a dreamy look came on her face, and she began reciting a poem unconsciously.

_All my life, every day I wait_

_for you to ask "how 'bout a date?"_

_And though not spoken in so many words_

_the request was asked, the meaning heard._

_Nervous tremors shake my core,_

_as I step up to your door._

_pacing 'round, up and down the walk,_

_I doubt that I could even talk._

_Suddenly the door opens wide, _

_and you invite me to step inside._

_My heart speeds up, and I feel queasy._

_Yes, I know this all sounds cheesy._

_Your blue eyes twinkle as we climb the stairs,_

_and I float along without a care._

_but once inside, I begin to shake._

_What if I misspeak, or make a mistake?_

_While Dino sings a calming tune,_

_you speak calming words that send me over the moon._

_We both admit nerves, though yours unneeded,_

_but your advice is heeded._

_Such fun we have throughout the night, _

_I can not help but feel alright._

_The dance we shared was like a dream,_

_in perfect sync, like a life long team._

_At my home later, you hug me tight,_

_the perfect end to a perfect night._

Helga blinked and sat up, "Wow, that was pretty good. Not my best work, by far, but not bad." She pulled a pink book from under her mattress and wrote it down, all the while dreaming of the next time she and Arnold could hang out. She was extremely proud of herself for being (mostly) civil the entire time she was there, even when things got awkward. '_Maybe talking with Dr. Bliss is helping'_ Helga thought happily. She had kept up her sessions with Dr. Bliss after the first few times that she had been forced to go, and she was happy to have someone to talk to that was sworn not to tell. Phoebe was all well and good, but when you got down to it she was only nine, like Helga. Helga enjoyed having an adult who could give her advice on difficult matters. And speaking of Dr. Bliss, Helga glanced at her clock and realized that it was time for her first session since she got back from the beach. Normally Dr. Bliss would only have had sessions with Helga during the school year, but they had agreed that Helga might benefit from summer sessions once a week during the second half of the summer, as opposed to their traditional two during the school year.

Helga stashed her book back in it's hiding place and grabbed her shoes. She raced out the door and down her normal secret course to Dr. Bliss's office.

Helga made it to the office building without running into anyone she knew just in time for her session. She raced up the stairs and practically threw the door off it's hinges when she opened it.

"Dr. Bliss!" she exclaimed, "I am _so_ glad to be back here!"

"Hello, Helga," the therapist replied with a smile at Helga's enthusiasm, "How was your vacation?"

Helga closed the door (more gently than she had opened it), and sat herself on the long couch opposite the chair Dr Bliss currently occupied.

"It was AMAZING! Well, at first I thought is was really going to bite, since Bob and Miriam were the same as always, but then I found out that Arnold and his family were staying at the same beach house as us! So then..." Helga relayed the whole story to Dr. Bliss, who simply nodded and asked the occasional question while making notes on her paper.

After almost half the session was gone, Helga finished her story with "...And then he _hugged _me! Of his own free will! I didn't even ask, not that I could have if I wanted to. And he brought me cookies!"

"Well Helga, it sounds like you've had quite the eventful summer so far!" Dr. Bliss chuckled.

"Oh yeah, it's been great!" Helga responded happily.

"So how do you think this is going to continue?" Dr. Bliss asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well," she began, "Are you and Arnold going to continue to be friends once school starts, or are you going to revert to your old defence of being hostile?"

"Um..." Helga thought for a moment. She hadn't thought about school starting, but Dr. Bliss had a point; summer wouldn't last forever, and school wasn't far away. What would happen to her and Arnold?

"I don't really know. I'd like to stay friends, but...the other kids, they'd eat me alive if..." she couldn't finish.

"Helga," Dr. Bliss started, "You are a very strong, very brave girl. If the other kids reacted negatively, I think you could stand up for yourself and Arnold if you needed to. And in time, I think they would accept it as a new fact of life; these things tend to blow over pretty quickly."

"Really?" Helga asked softly.

"Really. That's all the time we have for today, but I'll see you next week. And Helga?"

"Yes?"

"Try not to worry. Whatever happens, I know you will figure out the best way to handle things. And I'm very proud of how you acted at Arnold's house; it shows just how much you've grown since we started meeting."

"Thank you, Dr. Bliss. For everything."


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello everyone! Sorry this took so long to get posted, but every time I start writing I get more ideas :) Anyway, I decided to post this chapter now because 1) you guys have been waiting too long, and 2) if I didn't end the chapter where I did, you wouldn't have it up for a while, and it would be super long! So, without further ado, Chapter 9!**

**Disclaimer: You know the drill :)**

Chapter 9

Helga left Dr. Bliss's office in a great mood; everything seemed perfect. Just as she rounded the corner, though, she crashed into a certain football-headed boy.

"Arnold! Um...watch where you're going!"

"Sorry, Helga. I was just..."

"Yeah?"

"Well", he took a deep breath, "I was actually looking for you."

"Me?" Helga squeaked, "Um..w-what for?"

"Well, I was...I was wondering if...ifyouwouldliketojoinmeforapicnictomorrow!" He said all in one breath.

"...what?" Helga asked. She _thought_ she knew what he just said, but she needed to be sure that it wasn't just her imagination.

"I, um, wondered if you'd like to join me...for a picnic." Arnold said again, visibly nervous.

Helga wasn't sure what to do. On the one hand, a picnic with Arnold sounded like the most wonderful thing in the world, but on the other hand there was the chance that someone would see them.

"Where, uh, were you thinking we would have this picnic?" she asked, trying to sound casual.

"Well, I was thinking it might be fun to have it on the roof, since it's pretty secluded; we wouldn't have to worry about anyone bothering us. Unless you'd rather somewhere else..."

"No! Um, I mean the roof is fine. So, what time should I be there?" Helga asked.

"Well, how about around one? That way I can get everything set up."

"Sounds good, Arnoldo! Guess I'll see you then."

"Yeah. Well, see you then, Helga." And before she could even process what was happening, Arnold gave her a quick hug then headed on his way, waving.

Helga sighed, then floated all the way home.

Helga climbed the steps to her house, still replaying her encounter with Arnold, when she opened the door and was almost crushed with a hug and her ears were bombarded with "Baby sister! I'm _SO_ happy to see you again!" Helga fought off her sister and sighed.

"Hello, Olga. Thank you for that near death experience; your hugs should come with warnings!"

"Oh Helga, you're such a silly! But right now I want to hear absolutely _everything_ about how things are going!" Helga sighed again. She tended to do that around Olga, because the other option was to strangle her much too perky sister.

"Alright, Olga, you want to know how things are going?" Olga nodded eagerly.

"Ok, I'll tell you. Things are just peachy, and you want to know why? Because Bob is still work obsessed, Miriam is still always passed out in one place or another, and I'm basicly raising myself!" Helga turned and stormed up to her room, leaving Olga standing in front of the door speechless.

Helga slammed her bedroom door shut, and wedged a chair under the knob so no one could come in.

"Stupid Olga, ruining my perfect day. Stupid Miriam for never being awake enough to actually be a mom. Stupid Bob for...for just being Bob! Why is my family so messed up? Why am I so messed up? I could barely form a full sentence around Arnold today! And he still invited me on a picnic! If only I could do the same, but between keeping my secret and my screwed up family, I don't see how that could ever work out. And now Olga's here, which just makes everything _so_ much better! At least Bob and Miriam are pretty much oblivious to my existence, so I do whatever I want, but Olga seems to think that she gets to be part of my every waking moment! How am I going to get away from her?"

Helga flopped on her bed, then bolted upright.

"What am I _doing_? I've got a picnic with Arnold tomorrow! I have to plan!" she jumped from her bed and ran to her closet. There wasn't much that she thought was appropriate, so she decided to just wear her dress like she always did. Just as she closed her closet door, her bedroom door was knocked on.

"Baby Sister? Helga? I know you might still be mad at me, but I made dinner and it's ready. If you want to stay in your room I can put it in the refrigerator for you, or ever sneak it up so you can eat in your room; Mummy and Daddy wouldn't have to find out." '_As if they'd even care'_ Helga thought acidly. But Olga seemed to really be trying to make her happy, and she really hadn't been angry with Olga, just their parents, so she walked over to the door and set aside the chair. She opened the door to see Olga standing there hopefully.

"Olga, I'm not mad at you. I'm just fed up with our parents and how they act, but that's my problem. Anyway, since it will make you happy, I'll come down to dinner."

"Oh you are just the sweetest baby sister EVER!" Olga squealed. Before she could hug Helga again, Helga stopped her with a rather blunt "I'm not too big on hugs, Olga. Could we maybe keep it to a minimum?"

"Of course, Helga, if that's what you want. Come on, we don't want dinner to get cold."

"Sounds good to me. What'd you make, anyway?"

"Well, since it's my first night back I wanted to make something super special..." Olga rambled on the whole way to the dining room, and through most of dinner, but for once she tried to keep Helga involved in the conversation. Through all of dinner and dessert, Helga couldn't help but think that maybe Olga wasn't as bad as she used to be.

The next morning Helga woke up more than a little nervous. Today was her and Arnold's picnic, and she was almost shaking with anticipation. She walked down to the kitchen only to find Olga making pancakes.

"Good Morning , Olga."

"Good Morning, Helga! Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, I slept alright. You?" Helga asked, sitting at the small kitchen table.

"Oh I slept wonderfully, thank you. Would you like some breakfast? I made pancakes, and I also got some maple syrup." Pancakes with syrup? Helga couldn't say no!

"Sure, lay 'em on me!" she said eagerly while Olga plated some pancakes. She set them in front of Helga along with the syrup and some butter. Helga covered her pancakes in butter and syrup and starting eating.

"Wow, Olga, these are amazing!"

"I'm so glad you like them!" Olga said, sitting across from Helga with her own breakfast, "So, do you have any fun plans today, baby sister?"

"Well, I, um...I'm having a picnic with a friend, but that's all."

"Oh, well tell Phoebe I say hello, ok Helga?"

"It's...not Phoebe."

"Oh? Then who is it?"

"It's...Arnold." Helga mumbled. She had decided that she wanted to try and make she and Olga's relationship better, starting with telling her the truth more often, but she was starting to think she should reconsider.

"Oh baby sister! Your first date! How exciting! what time is it at?"

"It's not a date! It's at one, but I don't need any-"

"One?! We'll barely have enough time! Hurry and finish eating so we can get started!" Olga finished her own breakfast in record time and practically dragged Helga to her room.

"Ok, so what are you wearing? Go get dressed, then come back, ok?" Olga said joyfully. Rather than argue, Helga just decided to go with it, so she went and got dressed then returned to Olga's room.

"Oh, Helga, you look so sweet! But you wear that all the time! Let's spice it up a little!" Olga took Helga's hair out of it's pigtails, and started to brush it out. As she started to style it she reached to take out Helga's pink bow. Helga whipped around at the speed of light and said through her teeth "I will let you do whatever you plan on to my hair, but do _not_ touch my bow. Ever."

Olga was a little surprised at Helga's reaction, but she just said "Ok, Helga, if that's what you want." She twisted Helga's hair into two French braids and smiled at the finished product.

"Oh Helga! Don't you just look precious!" she bubbled. '_I look like an idiot.'_ Helga thought. She wasn't too upset, though; she was going to take the braids out and put her hair back into pigtails as soon as she could get away from Olga.

Olga held Helga captive for a little while longer until Helga insisted that she _had_ to get to Arnold's, and if Olga didn't let her leave now she'd be late. Olga relented, and Helga was able to escape to her room for a few minutes before she really did need to leave. She checked to make sure that she looked alright, minus the hair, and then ran out the door before Olga got and more bright ideas about "helping" Helga get ready. Ducking into an ally, Helga combed out the braids and put them back into pigtails. She straightened her bow, and borrowed an old hubcap as a mirror. '_Guess I'm as ready as I can be'_ she thought.

Arriving at Sunset Arms right on time, Helga was about to knock on the door when she heard a voice on the roof. She snuck over to the fire escape to listen. She couldn't tell what was being said, but she knew it was Arnold so she decided to play a little joke on him.

Being careful not to make any sound, Helga crept up the very familiar fire escape until she was just below the edge of the roof. She peeked up to make sure Arnold was still there, which he was. His back was to her, and he appeared to be setting up the picnic blanket. Just as he lifted the blanket to let the slight breeze aid him, Helga climbed onto the roof.

"Hey, Arnoldo! How goes it?" she asked calmly. Arnold, not knowing she had been there, spun around at her voice.

"Huh? Whoa!" he yelled as in turning around he managed to get very tangled in the blanket he had been holding. He fell over and lay on the rooftop, staring up at Helga.

"H-Helga? W-what? How did you-?" he stuttered.

"Oh Arnold. Arnold, Arnold, Arnold." Helga sighed, ignoring his questions. She walked over and started to help him untangle himself.

"Sorry about that. I wanted to surprise you, but I didn't mean for you to fall over! You ok?"

"Um...yeah, I think so." he said, coming out of his shock.

"Good. Now, let's see about getting you out of this mess. Sheesh Hair Boy, you really did it this time; how did you even manage to get _this _tangled?" she asked sarcastically.

After successfully freeing Arnold, Helga helped him spread the blanket on the roof.

"I'll be right back, Helga," Arnold said as he walked towards his skylight, "I'll just go get lunch. Do you want anything in particular to drink?"

"Anything's fine. Need a hand getting anything?" She asked.

"Oh no, that's fine, Helga. Just make yourself comfortable." he assured her. Once she was alone, Helga sat on the blanket trying to take in the fact that she was at Arnold's house _again_ for a special meal. And this time it _just the two of them_. There was so much potential for things going wrong, but there was also so much potential for things going right! On the brink of a monologue, Helga heard the sound of the skylight door opening, and turned to see Arnold trying to open the door without dropping the large picnic basket, pitcher of lemonade, and cups that he was holding.

"Criminy Football Head!" Helga exclaimed as she opened the door and took some of the things from his hands, "Why didn't you let me help you get all that stuff? Or at least make more than one trip!" Arnold gave a small shrug, then started setting out everything he had brought. When he was done there were two plates and cups set out, holding peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and lemonade.

"Wow, Arnold, you sure know how to pack a picnic!" Helga exclaimed, "And this sandwich is awesome!"

"Really? Thanks, Helga. I wasn't too sure about plain old peanut butter and jelly, but I'm not allowed to use the stove, so I wasn't sure what else to make." Helga almost choked on her sandwich. '_Arnold made these sandwiches all by himself? For me? I'm eating Arnold's cooking! Ok, metaphorically, but still! How many times have I dreamed that he would cook for me?'_ Helga, regaining control of herself, looked at Arnold in amazement, "You made this? Arnold, this is the best sandwich I've ever had!"

"Well thanks, Helga", Arnold replied with a light blush on his cheeks. Ever since his grandpa had mentioned Helga liking his as more than just a friend/person to torment, he had realize than he really wanted to make her happy, and maybe even a little impressed. He wasn't sure why, but the thought of Helga liking something he did was something he wanted to make a reality.

The two continued eating and making small talk until, in a span a silence, Arnold posed the question, "So, um, Helga? I was wondering something, and I wanted to know if we could talk about it without you feeling like you have to run away?"

Helga felt her heart stop, then start again at double, no _triple_ time. '_He wants to talk about something that might make me want to...oh no. No, no, no, no, no, this can __not_ _be happening!'_

"Um...well what kind of 'something' did you have in mind?" She asked tentatively.

"Well," Arnold said slowly, "I wanted to talk about...the beach. And what happened there...with us." Helga's eyes widened to the size of the plates in front of them. She couldn't do this _here_! Not _now_, with no warning! she needed time to prepare herself! without another thought she jumped up and started running to the fire escape. She only stopped when she felt Arnold take her wrist, just like he had at the beach.

"Helga, please don't run away. I just want to talk, ok? I promise, that's all."

"But Arnold," Helga said quietly, "_Talking_ is exactly why I'm trying to leave. Can't we just...forget about the beach?"

"Helga...I don't want to forget about the beach."


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey everyone! First I'd like to say thanks to everyone who reviewed! It makes me so happy when I wake up and log on to find even one new review for me to read. Second, I started school again today, so I have to apologize that chapters are going to take a bit longer to come up, but the ****_will_**** be up. I will not leave this story unfinished! :) I think that's all, so on with the chapter. Oh, I don't want to give away too much, but this chapter may or may not be the chapter you guys have been wanting ;) Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: You know this by now.**

Chapter 10

Helga blinked at Arnold. '_He...doesn't want to...forget...'_ She was dazed, to say the least, but she quickly tried to regain her composure so she could handle this new turn of events.

"Helga, can we please just talk about this? I promise, I'll do everything I can to make this not awkward, ok?" Arnold said reassuringly.

"...ok," Helga said softly, "I guess...I guess I can try. I should have known you'd want an explanation for all of that eventually." Arnold let go of her wrist and walked back to where they had been sitting before. Helga turned and looked at the scene before her: Arnold was waiting for her to sit down and talk with him about...about the beach, and all the things she had done at the beach. '_Well, I guess I should have known I could only get away with so much before he started asking questions'_ Helga thought. She walked slowly over to her spot on the blanket, and sat across from Arnold with her hands folded in her lap.

"So...uh, whenever you're ready, Head Boy," she mumbled.

"Ok, Helga, I'm...I'm not really sure what happened at the beach, with the movie and all, but...I do know that there wasn't a...a k-kiss in the script. So, I guess my first question is...why did you, you know...kiss me?" Arnold blushed quite red, but waited patiently for Helga to answer.

'_Great, he picks the biggest question to ask first! Couldn't he start with something smaller?!'_ Helga thought nervously. After a few minutes of silence, Helga decided she had better just answer the question.

"Well...you see, that was because...because...Arnold, I'm sorry but I don't think I can do this!" Helga got up like she was going to try to leave; this was not how her wonderful picnic was supposed to go, but things in dreams were much easier to control.

"It's ok, Helga," Arnold said, "I understand. Why don't...why don't you just start by telling me something smaller, and we can work our way up to...more difficult questions."

"Really?" Helga asked. He was giving her a way out of this question (for now)?

"Sure, Helga. I just want to understand all of this." Arnold said comfortingly.

Helga took a deep breath and sat back down. She thought about their beach trip; what could she tell him that wouldn't be _too_ bad?

"Um, well...when I found out we were staying at the same beach house...maybe...maybe I didn't hate it as much as I said..."

"Really?" Arnold asked, though he secretly had suspected it.

"Yeah...and...and remember how I sort of ruined all that stuff with you and Summer for no reason? Well...I...it might not have been "no reason" exactly...I...might have had my own reasons." Helga cringed at actually saying that aloud. '_I can't believe we're doing this __here__! __Now__!'_

Arnold looked at her thoughtfully, like he was trying figure something out, though Helga couldn't tell if it was about her or himself. Seeing no reaction to what she just said, Helga decided to continue.

"And...and...Arnold, I really can't do this!" she sighed. Arnold reached over and held her hand reassuringly.

"Helga you're doing fine. I know this isn't really something you want to talk about, but I really just want to understand. Would it be easier if we went back to me just asking questions?"

"Yeah, maybe..." Helga mumbled, her face flaming at Arnold holding her hand. Arnold stood up and walked over so that he was next to Helga and sat down, never letting go of her hand.

"Ok," he said slowly, "So, first question: why did my being with Summer bother you so much?"

"...Can we start with something else, Arnold?" Helga asked, almost pleading.

"Of course. Hmm...how about this? When I invited you over for dinner, were you really happy that I invited you, or were you just saying that?"

"I really was happy, Arnold. Really." Helga said quietly.

"I'm glad. And see, Helga, you can do this! Do you think we could try a...bigger question now?"

"...Maybe...how big?"

"...on a scale of one to ten...how much do you _really_ hate me?" Arnold asked tentatively. Helga turned red again, and it took several minutes before she answered.

"...maybe...a three...or a...one...maybe...less..." her voice had gotten progressively quieter as she spoke until the last words were so quiet Arnold almost couldn't hear her.

"R-really? Then...why do you always act like-"

"Because," Helga cut him off, "Because...I was trying to avoid _this_ right here that we're doing now. This whole...talking about...everything."

"Oh. Well, then maybe-"

"Arnold, could we just focus on this "talking it out" thing for right now, and deal with what comes after later?" Helga asked quickly.

"Alright," Arnold agreed, "So...since we've...gotten some of the bigger questions answered...do you think we could go back to the question about me and Summer bothering you? And the one about the...kiss?" Arnold said, blushing. He wasn't sure why, but ever since talking with his grandpa, Arnold had been blushing at a lot of things concerning Helga, the kiss in particular. '_I know she doesn't want to talk about it, but I think we need to. I don't really know what it is, but ever since that talk with Grandpa, things have felt...different. Actually, I think things have been different for a while...I just don't know how.'_ Arnold thought. In truth, he had been thinking about Helga almost nonstop for a while now, but nothing really made sense to him.

While Arnold was lost in his thoughts, Helga was lost in her own. '_So he really wants me to do this...answer __the_ _question. Tell him my biggest secret. I don't think I can do this! What if he rejects me? What if he never wants to see me again? What if he thinks I'm crazy? And who would blame him anyway? I __am_ _crazy!'_ Finally Helga just decided that if Arnold wanted her to answer, she may as well tell him the truth; there wasn't really any way out of it anyway. Screwing up every single ounce of courage she had, Helga turned to look at Arnold.

"Ok, Arnold, you want me to tell you _everything_?" she asked softly.

"I would really like it, yes, Helga" Arnold said, looking at her with encouraging eyes.

"Ok. I-I'll tell you. Just...please, don't freak out." Arnold merely nodded, so Helga continued, "Ok, so...when I saw you with Summer...it bothered me because..." Helga braced herself, "...because I...maybe I more than don't hate you. Maybe I even...kinda, sorta...like you a little...or a lot, heh." By now Helga had stood up and walked several steps away from Arnold towards the edge of the roof. She faced the street down below and waited for Arnold's response, barely breathing.

"...you...you like...me?" Arnold asked, bewildered. He had always thought that maybe Helga didn't _hate_ him, but he had never thought that she might like him. The idea was...strange, but not bad. Arnold realized that Helga was waiting for an answer, but he wasn't quite sure he could give her one. He stood and walked towards her, trying to come up with something he could say to her.

Helga heard Arnold step in her direction, and she whirled around to face him. Seeing him walking towards her she stiffened and backed farther to the edge of the roof, putting her hands on it to stable herself.

"Arnold..." she trailed off, unsure of what she had been planning to say.

"Helga, it's ok. Really." Arnold said reassuringly. Arnold continued walking towards Helga until he was right next to her. She turned to look out over the street, and then down at her shoes.

"Helga...why did you feel like this was something you needed to hide?" Arnold asked.

"Because...because..." Helga couldn't decide how she wanted to answer.

"Because why, Helga? Please, I...I want to understand."

""BECAUSE IT'S NOT EXACTLY EASY TO TELL SOMEONE YOU LOVE THEM!" Helga suddenly yelled.

Arnold took a step back and blinked in surprise.

"L-love?" he stuttered.

"YES LOVE! I'VE LOVED YOU SINCE THE DAY I MET YOU, OUT IN THE RAIN IN FRONT OF URBAN TOTS PRESCHOOL! YOU WERE THE ONLY PERSON WHO EVER REALLY CARED ABOUT ME, HOW COULD I _NOT_ LOVE YOU?"

"Urban tots..." Arnold said slowly. His dream was starting to make sense; he and Helga had met in front of the preschool on their first day, and later he had given her his crackers.

Meanwhile, Helga was still near hysterical.

"YES, URBAN TOTS! WHAT ARE YOU, DEAF? AFTER ALL OF THESE YEARS OF ME STALKING YOU AND MAKING SHRINES TO YOU AND PULLING CRAZY SCHEMES AND WRITING VOLUMES OF POETRY AND-" suddenly Helga stopped and stared at Arnold, who had been trying to wrap his head around everything. Before Arnold could even blink though, Helga was halfway to the fire escape again.

"Helga, wait!" Arnold called as he broke from his shock and ran after her. He didn't make it to her until she was already on the landing to the fire escape.

"Helga!" Arnold grabbed her hand before she could get any farther away. She stopped, but she wouldn't look at him.

"Helga, please don't run away. Just come back onto the roof, and we can talk about this."

"But Arnold, that's just it! I don't _want _to talk about it! I've spent seven years _hiding _it!" Helga said hysterically; Arnold wasn't sure, but he thought he saw tears in her eyes.

"Helga..." he climbed down so that they were both standing on the same level, and pulled her into a tight hug. For once, Helga just let him hug her, and wrapped her arms tightly around him in return.

"You don't have to be afraid, Helga. You don't have to run away." Arnold said, hugging her extra tight to emphasize his words. He pulled away from their hug, but he took Helga's hand again.

"Do you think we can go back to the roof now?" Arnold asked, hoping that she wouldn't run away again. He still wasn't sure how he felt about all of this, but what he did know was that Helga was upset, and he needed to help her.

Helga nodded slowly, and followed Arnold back up to the roof. Arnold looked at the blanket where they had been sitting and thought that it looked...not quite right for the situation.

"Helga?" he asked, "Would you rather go inside, or would staying outside be more comfortable for you?"

"Um...i-if you want to go inside that's f-fine." Helga mumbled.

Arnold nodded and led the way to his skylight. He opened the glass door and helped Helga down the latter that was built into his wall then he followed, never letting go of her hand. Arnold led them over to the couch and sat.

"So," Arnold began, "why didn't you tell me all of this before?"

"Because I was...afraid." Helga whispered.

"Afraid of what, Helga?"

"Afraid that...you would..." she couldn't finish.

"That I would...reject you? Helga, don't you know me better than that?" she just shrugged.

"Helga, I can't say that I love you back," she cringed, "_But_ that doesn't mean that I don't...care for you as...more than a friend." Arnold finished.

"You...you do?" She asked.

"Yeah. I don't know why it took me so long to realize it, but I do. You're funny, and smart, and kind, and...you're really pretty."

"I...I am?"

"Yes Helga, you are!"

"But...but I'm just...me." she said, a little amazed at Arnold's reaction to all of this.

"Helga, "just you" is all you ever should be. You're a really great person, and I wish you would see that."

"So," Helga said, "I have to get this straight: you really like me...as...more than just a friend? Really?"

"Yes, Helga," Arnold smiled, "Really."

Helga, still in quite a daze from all of this, pinched her arm and yelped at the pain that shot through her arm.

"Helga! What was that for?" Arnold asked in slight alarm.

"I...I had to make sure this wasn't a dream. I...Arnold, I've thought about this moment happening so many times, but I never really thought...that you would..." Rather than finish her sentence, Helga threw her arms around Arnold and hugged him as tight as she could. Arnold chuckled and hugged her back.

"Helga, is it really that hard to believe?" Arnold asked.

"Yes!" Helga blurted out before she could stop herself. But Arnold just smiled again and hugged her tighter. After a moment the two separated and just looked at each other; neither was quite sure where things would go from here.

"So...um, w-what happens now?" Arnold asked.

"Well, I don't really know," Helga said, "I...I never really thought about what might happen if you found out my secret and _didn't_ think I was a total loon."

"Well...maybe...sometime, not necessarily right now, you could...show me some of that poetry you mentioned. If you wanted to, that is..." Arnold added quickly.

"You...want to read my poetry?" Helga asked, baffled.

"Well sure. I mean, if you want to. It's obviously something you're proud of, considering you...you mentioned "volumes" on the roof. Anyway, if it's something you're proud of, and you' be willing to share it, I'd love to read it."

"Well, maybe some of it, if you really want to that much. But since it was really just for me I'll have to find some less-embarrassing poems to show you." Helga said.

"Alright, that fine," Arnold agreed. Then, he remembered something else Helga had mentioned on the roof.

"So, since poems are out for now, how about you tell me about those crazy schemes you mentioned?" Arnold asked. Helga went pale, then red...then pale, and then red again!

"Um, well, I...you really want to hear about all of the lunatic things I've done just because I...I...Arnold, after keeping it a secret for so long, I don't think I'm going to be able to say what I think you know I'm trying to say to your face just yet. Maybe in time, but for right now..." she let the sentence dangle.

"That's fine, Helga. And yes, I would really like to hear about all of the things you've done over the years."

"Well, ok. It actually started in pre-K. I thought Ronda liked you, so I may have "accidentally" spilled paste in her hair. That's why she doesn't really like me, well that and other things..." Helga started telling Arnold about most of her crazy plots from over the years, only leaving out the ones that were really embarrassing (like the Cheese Festival sabotages), and Arnold sat and listened with growing amusement as the stories went on.

"And then there was the time I might have...convinced Ronda, Sheena, Phoebe, and Lila all to drop out of playing Juliet in the school play." Helga had been telling many stories (she had seven years of them after all), and she was finally coming to the more current ones.

"You did that?" Arnold asked in surprise, "I wondered why they all quit the part after working so hard at auditions. But, why did you want the part so badly?"

"...please don't make me say it, Arnold." Helga said with the light blush that had been on her cheeks grew considerably. Arnold nodded and waited for her to continue.

"Anyway, there was also the time I found out you had invited Ruth on a Valentines Day date, so I may have snuck into the classroom and taken your postcard from-"

"CECIL!" Arnold suddenly said in a mix of surprise and recognition.

"Um, yeah. Her." Helga said in a voice that clearly questioned Arnold's reaction.

"No, I mean you're Cecil! It all makes sense now! The hair, and the pink outfit, and...and..." Arnold was slightly dumbstruck at realizing that he had known Cecil all along, but had been too blind to see her for who she really was.

"Helga...I...I wondered if I would ever meet someone as wonderful as Cecil, and now I find out it was you all along...Helga...do you know what that means?"

"...no, not really..." Helga didn't show it, but inside she was terrified that Arnold would say finding out she and Cecil were one and the same was a letdown, but she was trying not to jump to conclusions.

"It means," Arnold continued, "that I've been...well I've been pretty much head over heels for you for longer than I thought!"

Helga was speechless! '_Arnold was...which means he...and he's been...__head over heels__?'_ Helga very nearly passed out, but she managed to keep herself somewhat composed at she tried to form a coherent answer to this new piece of information.

"So you...over...me?" '_So much for not sounding like a basket case, Helga. Way to go girl.'_ she thought, mentally smacking herself.

"Yes, Helga. You. I guess I just hadn't seen you looking so beautiful before, so that's why I didn't recognize you." Arnold turned a bit pink at saying this aloud, but he was still far less red than Helga, who now between the stories and the compliment was a rather brilliant shade of bright pink.

"You know," Arnold continued, "You...um, you look...really pretty when you blush, Helga."

"R-really?" Helga squeaked.

"Yeah, really." Arnold grinned.

The two sat in silence for a while, not quite sure what to say next. Finally, about ten minutes later, Helga looked at Arnold's clock sitting by his bed to find that it was getting close to three. '_Wow, I've been here for almost two hours!'_ Helga noted in surprise. Glancing at Arnold she voiced this observation aloud.

"Hey Football Head, not that this hasn't been the most amazing and stressful day ever, but I should probably head home. After all, I'm sure you have stuff to do."

"Well, I do need to make a list of school supplies that I'm going to need." Arnold admitted. He didn't really want to think about school, because he now knew why Helga acted how she did around their classmates, and he didn't want to go back to that. Not after learning the truth.

"Oh man, I forgot! We start school when?" Helga asked.

"Um, the 29th, so in eight days." Arnold answered, still thinking about how things between he and Helga would change this year.

"Good grief! I've got a ton of stuff to get!" Helga exclaimed, "Let's see, I need notebooks, pencils, a new backpack since mine broke. Hmm, maybe I can just fix it..." she was now talking more to herself than to Arnold, who was just sitting there watching Helga continue to think aloud. When she finally stopped to take a breath, Arnold broke into her thoughts.

"Helga? If you'd like...well, my grandpa's taking my shopping on Tuesday. I know two days is kind of short notice to make a whole list, but if you want you could come with us. Unless you don't want to, or you have plans or something." Arnold said quickly.

"No, that sounds really nice, Arnold. Only..." Helga didn't want to finish her sentence because she knew it would probably hurt Arnold, which was the last thing she wanted to do.

"What is it ,Helga? You can tell me." little did Helga know, but Arnold suspected just what it was she was going to say: she was afraid of people seeing them together.

"Arnold," Helga began, "I really do like you, and I swear this isn't some mean trick I've been plotting all along or something, but...I've spent seven years hiding how I really feel about you from everyone. If someone saw us at the store...they would probably assume that we were...you know..." Helga couldn't look at Arnold, so she just looked at her shoes.

"Helga, it's ok. I though that might be your worry, so what if we, I don't know, come up with a cover story or something? I bet you're great at that!"

"Really, you'd do that for me, Arnold? You'd go along with some crazy story just so that I would feel better?" Helga was surprised and touched that he cared that much. She had been expecting him to tell her that there was nothing to worry about and try to convince her that it would be fine. But he was actually ok with a crazy plan! She could have kissed him!

"Of course, Helga. Whatever makes you more comfortable. If you want us to use a cover story, then we will. No big deal." Helga just sat there absorbing what Arnold had just said, then suddenly threw her arms around him again.

"Football Head, you really are the best, you know that?" she said softly.

"Well, thanks Helga." Arnold said in surprise, "Like I said, whatever you need."

"Ok," Helga said after their hug was over, "So, should we say my parents are busy the rest of the week, and your grandpa was driving you anyway, so I "had" to go with you. Would that be ok?"

"That's fine."

"Ok, so I'll see you on Tuesday?"

"Yep. And, um, Helga?" Arnold asked tentatively.

"Yeah?"

"Could I maybe...walk you home?" Helga almost passed out again! It was like a dream come true! Literally.

"Well, I-I guess, if you really want to. I mean, I could walk home by myself."

"I know, but I would like to." Arnold said sincerely.

"Well, ok then. Shall we go?"

"Of course. But Helga?" Arnold asked as Helga made her way to the latter on his wall.

"Yeah?" she replied, pausing at the edge of his bed.

"Maybe we should take the stairs down instead of the fire escape."


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm back! Bing back at school is really taking it out of me, but I've developed ways to get everything done, and still have time for my writing so no worries! Extra special thanks to everyone who reviews/favorites/follows! I check my account every morning when I wake up, and seeing even one follow or favorite or review makes my day brighter. You guys rock! Ok, ok, enough of my rambling. On to the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the show, and the poem later in this chapter is thanks to and belongs to them. Or Helga G. Pataki, depending on how you look at it.**

Chapter 11

Monday came and went, with both Arnold and Helga waiting rather impatiently for Tuesday come. When the sun finally rose on Tuesday morning, Helga Pataki shot out of bed and directly to her closet to get dressed. She took special care in making sure she looked alright...ok, perfect, before heading down to the kitchen to find something that counted as breakfast. Or at least that was the plan until Olga set a plate of bacon and eggs in front of Helga, who looked at the plate in delight.

"Olga! This looks awesome!" Helga said no more as her mouth became very occupied with the food on her plate.

"Oh of course, Baby Sister! I knew you'd need a big breakfast before you're special trip today!" Helga almost choked on her eggs and had to cough for several seconds before questioning Olga.

"_What_ did you just say?"

"Oh Helga, I know you have a special little shopping trip planned with Ar-"

"_How_ do you know about that?" Helga almost screamed.

"I'm sorry, Helga. It's just that last night when you got home you were so happy, and so I was curious about what happened, but when I went up to your room you were already asleep in your bed. I was just about to leave when you started talking in your sleep about how excited you were for today. Oh, it was absolutely precious!" Olga finished happily.

"Olga," Helga tried to make her voice even, "Please, whatever you do, don't make a big deal out of this and _do not_ embarrass me when Arnold comes to pick me up, or mention this to Bob or Miriam. Ok?" Helga practically pleaded with her sister to just leave everything alone for once.

"Oh Helga, of course I won't embarrass you! And don't you worry about Mummy and Daddy; I won't say a word!" Olga giggled.

"Thank you." Helga sighed in relief.

Helga waited by the front door impatiently; Arnold was supposed to be there in two minutes, and Helga was getting more and more nervous the more she waited. '_What if he doesn't come? What if I'm just left sitting here all day until I finally accept that he stood me up? No, Arnold wouldn't do that. I'm just completely crazy and I need to calm down. __Seriously!'_Helga though as she paced back and forth in front of the door. Suddenly she heard the distinct sound of a car door being shut and she jumped to the peephole in the door, standing on her toes to see out.

Just as she had hoped, Arnold was walking up her front steps. Helga watched until Arnold was right on her stoop and ringing the bell, then she waited a few seconds so that it _didn't_ look like she had been standing there waiting for him to arrive.

Once Helga deemed it safe she opened the door to see Arnold smiling up at her.

"Hi, Helga! How are you?" he asked.

"Well I'm just dandy, Football Head! So, you ready to put up with me for a good hour or so?" she joked, though secretly she was still afraid he would get sick of her before the day was over.

"Helga, I don't "put up" with you; I like hanging out with you. don't you remember what I said on Sund-"

"Um, Arnold, can we _not_ talk about Sunday right now. I'm still trying to process what even happened, and I'm not really ready to talk about it. Maybe later, ok?"

"Of course, Helga. So, are you ready?"

"Bye baby sister! Have fun with your friend, ok Helga, sweetie?" Olga called from the kitchen where she was doing dishes.

Helga grit her teeth and tried not to blush and/or attack Olga. She checked her pockets for her money, and the two walked over to the wonderful old Packard. The car ride was a happy one, full of stories and jokes, and Helga crossing her fingers that everything would be okay.

Once they were at the store, Phil told the kids that they were free to do their own shopping without "an old coot" like him hanging around, and that they could just meet him on the bench by the door when they were done. Agreeing to this plan, Arnold and Helga ran off to do their shopping (under cover of Helga's story if the need arose).

Each carrying a basket to hold their items, they stopped first at backpacks so Helga could replace her broken one.

"So, Helga, what sort of backpack are you looking for?" Arnold asked, scanning the racks for something she might like.

"Oh, I don't really know. Really just something to hold my books." Helga said as she too searched through the backpacks hanging on the display.

"Do you know what color you want?"

"Well, I usually just get pink, since it's kind of my signature, but I think I'm going with something different this year." Helga said. Was that a smirk on her face? Indeed it was. In one quick motion Helga pulled a backpack from the rack that was the exact same shade of blue as Arnold's hat.

"What do you think, Arnold? Think I could pull off blue?"

"Helga," Arnold said slowly, "I think it's a wonderful color, especially on you," he blushed lightly, "But...don't you think the other kids will question that your bag matches my hat?"

"Well, I thought of that, but...maybe this can be a small step towards them finding out that I...don't hate you." Helga said quietly.

Arnold was a little surprised with this answer; he had expected that Helga would still want to keep things very secret, like always.

"Really, Helga? You're sure you want to?"

"Hey, has Helga Pataki ever done something she wasn't completely sure about?" Arnold just looked at her, thinking of their picnic. And various other events.

"Ok, so maybe _sometimes_ I've done things without thinking. But this time I'm sure."

"Well I think it's really great, Helga."

They continued shopping, filling their baskets with pencils, erasers, notebooks, and other necessities, and before long they were both paying for their supplies.

"Helga," Arnold stopped her as she turned to go meet up with Phil, "I, um...well I got you something. If you want it, I mean. You don't have to keep it, and I don't expect you to actually use it. Unless you want to! But if you didn't, then-"

"Arnold, are you going to show me this thing or not?" Helga asked.

"Oh, right! Um, here...for you. Well, us." Arnold pulled a set of key chains out of his shopping bag. It was a pale blue circle that was cut down the center in a zigzag so that two people could each have a half. Printed on each half was the words "You Make Me Smile".

"Arnold...I love it! I really do...only..."

"I know you probably don't want to put it on your bag, but I just thought you might like to have it." Arnold said understandingly.

"Well, the truth is I really _do_ want to put it on my bag, so...so what if I put it on the inside. Sort of like...our little secret?" Helga asked tentatively.

"Of course, Helga! Like I said, whatever you want to do with it...I'm glad you like it." he finished a bit shyly. He wasn't used to buying gifts for people when it wasn't a birthday or holiday, but he really liked seeing Helga smile as she clipped her half of the key chain to a small loop inside her bag. Once both were ready, they found Arnold's grandpa and headed home.

Arnold and Helga walked up to Helga's front door, stopping only when Helga found a note taped to the door.

"Helga,

I went to the store to get some things for dinner.

The door is open for you, and I'll be home soon.

P.S

Feel free to invite your friend to stay for dinner! We're having lasagna.

Kisses,

Olga"

"Well Football Head, would you like to stay for dinner?" Helga asked, more okay with asking since it was really Olga's idea, and she knew Arnold had seen the note.

"Well sure, Helga! It sounds like fun, but I'd better ask my Grandpa." Arnold ran to the car, then back a moment later as the Packard pulled away.

"He said it's fine, and he said to thank you for joining us shopping; he really likes you, Helga."

"Well thanks, and tell your grandpa thanks too. I like him too; he tells great stories!"

"Yeah, he does." Arnold agreed.

They went inside and Helga led them to the living room, unsure of what to say next. They sat for a while in silence until Arnold started the conversation with asking Helga about different favorites. Helga started asking Arnold's favorites, and soon it turned into a very silly game of "Would you rather..."

"So," Helga said, "If the world was being taken over by aliens, and the only way to stop them was to win a pie eating contest, what kind of pie would you prefer?" the end of her question was barely understandable due to her fit of laughter.

"Helga! Why didn't you just ask what my favorite kind of pie is?" Arnold laughed.

"Because, this was more fun!"

"Well ok, then I guess I'd have to say apple."

"Fair enough. Personally I prefer pecan, but apple's a close second." Helga's laughter subsided for the moment, and she fell into thought. _'We're having so much fun, but nothing can really happen unless I'm honest with Arnold, can it? I tell him the truth when he asks me stuff, but he would never ask about the shrines and stuff because he'd feel like he was prying. But if I don't tell him just how bad my obsession with him is, then it's just as bad as lying to him, right? Or maybe it's worse...'_

"Arnold?" _'I'd better just do this now, or I'll never feel like I'm really telling him the truth. Besides, I can trust him.'_

"Yes, Helga?"

"I...well, there's...there's something I want to show you. It's important."

Arnold nodded and followed Helga out of the living room and up the stairs. They arrived in front of Helga's room, and with a deep breath she opened the door and stepped inside. Arnold, however, didn't follow. He simply stood in the doorway and looked at Helga.

"_Arnold_," Helga began with a touch of annoyance in her voice, "would you mind explaining why you suddenly don't want to come near me?"

"It's not you, Helga, it's just...I don't think your parents would like it if I went in your room, especially since we're the only ones here." Arnold blushed lightly. Helga, however, was not going to put up with his chivalry when she had just decided to show him one of her biggest secrets. She gave a small huff and walked back into the hallway and in one quick movement grabbed Arnold by the wrist and dragged him into her room.

"Look Arnold," she began sarcastically, "you're in my room, we're here alone and, shocker, the world didn't end. Now can we please get back to me living out my nightmares?"

"Helga, if what you're about to show me is something you want to keep personal than you don't have to show it to me. I don't want you to feel like you have to do anything."

"No, I do have to do this. Arnold, I really like spending time with you, and today was one of the best days I've ever had. I would never want to jeopardize that, but I feel like what I'm about to show you is something you need to see, even...even if it means you never want to see me again."

"Helga, nothing could ever make me not want to see you again."

"Don't be so sure" Helga mumbled. She walked over to her closet and slowly opened the door.

"It...it's in here. Just go up the step-ladder in the back and through the trapdoor."

"You're not coming too?" Arnold asked.

"Arnold, what I'm showing you is probably my biggest secret ever, aside from what I told you before. Anyway, my point is that I really don't think I could be up there when you...when you see what you see."

"Ok, Helga, if that's what you want." Arnold walked over to the closet, then paused and turned to Helga, who was gripping the closet door with all her strength. He gave her a reassuring smile and hugged her tight, trying to convey that everything was going to be fine, no matter how worried she was. He released Helga and walked into the closet.

The moment he was out of her sight, Helga ran to her bed and flopped face down on her pillow. _'Why am I such a basket case? I just sent any relationship we might have had to the flaming pits of Hades! Ok, Helga, everything will be fine if you just think positive. Who am I kidding, this is going to be a freaking nightmare!'_ Helga continued her mental rant until a few minutes later she heard the closet door open and Arnold emerged.

Helga sat up and looked at Arnold from the corner of her eye for several seconds until he walked over and sat down next to her on her bed.

"Helga? Are you ok?" he asked.

"I'll be more ok once I know what's going on in that Football Head of yours right now." she responded in a slightly panicked tone.

"Helga, it's ok. What did you think was going to happen? I was going to run out of here and never come back?"

"Arnold, please just tell me straight, no embellishments or trying to soften it or anything, just the cold hard truth: what did you think of...my shrine?"

"I thought," Helga braced herself, "That it was...really nice." Helga looked at him in disbelief.

"Wait. Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"I really like it, Helga. Really."

"Really?"

"Yes, Helga, really."

"Arnold..." Helga stared at him for a moment more, then she threw herself at him, knocking him over so she was laying on top of him hugging him tighter than she ever had.

"You are the sweetest, kindest, most incredibly understanding Football Head ever, aren't you?" Helga said softly, tickling Arnold's ear and making him turn pink.

"Um, thanks, Helga. Could...could you maybe let me up, though? You're kind of squishing me."

"Oops, sorry Arnoldo! Didn't mean to suffocate you."

"That's ok, Helga. I'm fine."

"So...you're really ok with my shrine? Even though only a crazy, obsessive, completely insane stalker would do something this weird?"

"Yes, I am. Helga, it's not crazy at all, and I won't let you say stuff like that about yourself. You're really great, and you're really creative; it only makes sense that you would express yourself in a really creative and artistic way that's as unique as you." Arnold explained. Helga looked at him, and then down at the bedspread, and then back at Arnold.

"Wow. I really didn't think that you'd be this ok with everything. So, um, since this is either a dream or the second luckiest day of my life (the first being Sunday), would you...maybe like to read one of those poems I mentioned?"

"Of course, Helga! That is, if you don't mind sharing one."

"Hey, I offered, didn't I?" Helga joked. She reached under her mattress to retrieve her current little pink book, and flipped to a page. She handed it to Arnold, but he didn't take it immediately.

"Helga? Would it be too much if I asked you to read it? I mean, it is your poem, so you know how it should sound."

"Oh, um, ok. Sure." Helga turned her attention to the poem in her hands and took a deep breath, then began:

"_Cowlicks like fields of yellow corn_

_All the days of the week, _

_I write the name I dare not speak_

_The boy with the cornflower hair, _

_my beloved, and my despair."_

Helga closed the book and glanced at Arnold, who just looked at her with a smile as wide as his head.

"Helga..." she immediately braced for the worst, "Helga, calm down; why do you always assume the worst?"

"Because it seems most likely." she stated simply.

"Helga," Arnold began again, "I loved it." Helga blinked at him and then placed her hand on his forehead.

"Arnold, are you feeling ok? Really? Because I could have sworn you just said you loved my poem."

"I'm fine, Helga." Arnold chuckled, "And yes, I loved it; I think it's beautiful. You're so talented, is there anything you _can't_ do?"

"play an instrument." she answered his rhetorical question.

"Really?" Arnold asked in surprise.

"Yeah. See, when I was younger my parents tried to make me learn piano like Olga, but I just refused since it wasn't my choice, and since Olga was always miss Sally Sunshine while she tried to teach me. Actually, now that I think about it, it might be kind of cool to be able to play something."

"Well, if you want, I could teach you some piano. I don't know a lot, but I know the basics." Arnold offered.

"You'd really do that, Arnold?" she asked.

"Of course, Helga. Come on, you have a piano downstairs, right? We can start now if you want."

"Sure! Let's go, Hair Boy!"

"Oh, and Helga?"

"Yes, Arnoldo?"

"I...I really liked the, um...the way you referred to me at the end of the poem. Thanks."

Helga thought back to that line (my beloved...), and with a blushing smile she grabbed Arnold's arm and practically pulled him off his feet as she ran down stairs to the piano. They sat on the bench and Arnold explained the basic idea to Helga, who had her eyes glued to Arnold.

After Helga finally got the basic hand position right, Arnold showed her the first few notes of a song. Helga tried to copy what Arnold had done, but her notes came out mixed up and out-of-place.

"Oh man, Arnold this is _way_ harder than I though. How did you get so good?"

"The same thing that will make you better: practice. No one can be great at something when they first start out, after all. Here, I'll show you..." Arnold reached over and placed his hands on Helga's. They both blushed, but Arnold tried to pretend like it was no big deal.

"So, i-it goes like this..." slowly, together, they played the first line of the song.

"See, Helga?" Arnold said, returning to his place on the bench, "You can do it!"

"Only with you practically doing it for me." she pointed out.

"You did that by yourself, Helga. I just put my hands...there." Arnold said.

"Hello hello!" chirped Olga, dancing and twirling into the house. She looked in the living room where Arnold and Helga sat at the piano, and smiled widely.

"Oopsy, I'm not..._interrupting_ anything, am I?" she asked, looking at Helga pointedly.

"_No_, Olga, you're not. Arnold and I were just playing piano, _that's all_." Helga willed her sister to just leave and start dinner so she and Arnold could be alone again.

"Ok, well you two have fun! I'm just going to start dinner. Oh, by the way Helga I hope you don't mind, but Mummy and Daddy are eating out tonight, so they won't be joining us. You aren't too upset, are you? Because I'm sure I could call them..."

"No, don't bother them. If they want to eat out then that's fine." Helga said, secretly relieved that she wouldn't have to worry about her parents ruining her dinner with Arnold.

"Ok, then I'll just be in the kitchen if you need anything. It's nice to meet you, Arnold!"

"It's nice to meet you too, Olga." Arnold said warmly.

Arnold and Helga continued practicing piano until Olga called them for dinner, by which time Helga really could play the first part of the song by herself. Much to Helga's relief, dinner went smoothly, and Olga even surprised them with chocolate pudding for dessert.

When Arnold decided that he should head home, Helga walked with him to the door to wish him good night, as he did her, and the two parted ways for the day both thinking that today had been a wonderful day.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello hello everyone! Sorry it took a while, but here is chapter twelve! I had so many problems with this chapter that it was amazing; I had writers block for days, and then when I finally started writing it ended up being what will be the ****_next_**** chapter lol. I felt like this chapter was one that I just had to put in, so I hope you like it!**

**Repost: Sorry for the duplicate posting. I have no idea how that happened!**

**Disclaimer: I own Hey Arnold!**

**Helga: What are you talking about?! Craig Bartlett owns it, not you!**

**Me: Ok, ok, I don't own Hey Arnold. But I do own this fan fiction! Wait a second...first of all, how am I talking with Helga Pataki if she's (technically) just a cartoon, and second, if I am in fact talking to Helga, shouldn't you be in the story right now?**

**Helga: ...**

Chapter 12

Slowly the days slipped away, and soon it was Saturday. Arnold and Helga had talked on the phone a few times, but hadn't been able to spend time together since the shopping trip.

Helga was becoming increasingly nervous for the first day of school, and how things between she and Arnold would play out. She pondered this as she walked to Dr. Bliss's office for her last session before school started.

"Hello, Helga. How was your week?" Dr. Bliss asked as Helga shut the door behind her.

"It was wonderful! Arnold and I had a picnic, and I actually told him everything! And he didn't freak out or run away in terror!"

"Really Helga? That was very brave of you, and I'm very proud. That took a lot of courage. Are you happy you told Arnold how you feel?"

"Oh yeah! Things have been awesome ever since! We went back to school shopping together, and he bought us key chains for two that say, get this: "you make me smile". I make him smile!", Helga paused to breathe, "And then we went back to my house and I ended up showing him my shrine, and he thought it was creative and unique! He didn't think I was a total basket case!" Helga finished with a smile a mile wide.

"That's wonderful, Helga. You're really learning that it's okay to show your true self, aren't you?" Dr. Bliss said.

"Oh yeah! Oh, and I read Arnold one of my poems and he liked it! And he's teaching me to play piano, and he stayed for dinner, and everything is great! Except..."

"Except what, Helga?" Dr. Bliss prompted.

"Except school starts on Monday and I don't know what to do. I really want to tell people because I know Arnold hates lying, and that's pretty much what we'd be doing, but I don't know how I'd handle it if people started teasing me or Arnold. I mean, teasing me would be bad enough, but I can't bring that on Arnold, too! Dr. Bliss, what do I do?" Helga moaned in despair.

"Well, Helga, I'm not going to tell you what you should do, because only you can make that choice. But do you want to know what I think?"

"What?" Helga asked.

"I think that you should have a talk with Arnold about this, and how he feels about it. If you're both as open as possible, I think you can find a solution that you both like."

"Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks Dr. Bliss!"

"Of course, Helga. It's what I'm here for. And speaking of which, I was wondering what you thought of maybe just having one session a week during school; you're doing really well, and you're learning how to deal with your emotions better. If you want to keep two sessions a week, we can do that, but-"

"Now I'll have more time to see Arnold!" Helga interrupted. Then she realized what she had said and looked awkwardly at Dr. Bliss, "I said that out loud, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did. But you're right, you would have more free time. So, is that what you want to do?"

"Definitely! I mean, I love talking to you, don't get me wrong, but I'm a busy girl!"

"Yes, I know. Alright, so then I guess I'll see you on Saturday."

"Wait, we're done already?"

"Yes, Helga, we're all out of time for today. Have a wonderful first day of school, ok?"

"I will, don't worry!" Helga said as she left the room, thinking that she really needed to talk to Arnold.

Once she was home, Helga ran up to her room and stuck the chair under the door so Olga couldn't barge in. She grabbed the phone off of her side table and pulled the cord so that she could sit in her closet with the door closed, running the phone line under it.

She dialed Arnold's number and prayed he would pick up. No such luck.

"Sunset Arms Boarding House, Phil speaking."

"Um, hi, this is, um, Helga. Is...is Arnold there? Please?" Helga stuttered.

"Oh sure, just one second!" Helga could faintly hear Phil call to Arnold, "Hey Short Man, your girlfriend's on the phone for ya!" A second later Arnold picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey Football Head, it's me. Hope I didn't call at a bad time."

"Oh no, I was just reading." Arnold reassured her, "How are you?"

"Oh pretty good I guess. You?"

"I'm good, I got all my stuff packed for school today."

"Yeah, I still need to do that. Anyway, I was actually calling for a school-related reason. I was wondering about...you know, how things between us are going to be on Monday."

"Well, I guess it's really up to you, Helga. What do you want to do?" Arnold asked.

"Well, I don't really know what I want to do. That's why I was asking you. Arnold, can you just tell me honestly how you want to go about this whole thing?"

"Well, I have to admit I don't really want to go back to our normal...routine. I want us to be able to laugh and talk and enjoy each other's company without you worrying about us being seen, but I also know that it's hard for you after hiding everything for so long, so if you still want to pretend we don't get along then I understand." Arnold finished.

Helga was speechless. Arnold would let her go back to being like she had been? Teasing him and tripping him and being practically unbearable every day just because it would make her happier?

_'I can't do that to him. I can't do that to us! I actually told him how I feel, and he basically said that likes me back, and then we'd just throw that all away? No...'_

"Helga? Are you still there?"

"Yeah, sorry, I was a little lost in thought. Arnold...I don't want to go back to how things were, especially since it's not fair to you to keep putting up with all of my crap. But I don't know how much I can really reveal at once. Is that okay?" Helga asked slowly.

"Of course it is, Helga. I think it's great that you want to show more of yourself to people. Do you want me to help you plan what you want to do?"

"You would do that, Arnold?"

"Of course I would, Helga! If you ever need my help, don't be afraid to ask, okay?"

"Okay. Do you want to come over and we can talk about me throwing my whole reputation the heck and trying to be the real me?"

"Sure, Helga. I'll be there in a few minutes."

When Arnold arrived, Helga raced Olga for the door, then pulled Arnold up to her room as fast as she could before Olga had a chance to embarrass her.

"Sorry about the rush, Arnold. It's just that my sister can be...enthusiastic, and I really didn't want us to have to stand there while she makes her cutesy comments."

"That's alright. So, about Monday..." Arnold began.

"Right. I've been thinking that the backpack is one thing. And maybe, if you'd want to, we could...walk to school together?" Helga waited for his reaction.

"Sure, that sounds nice. Should I meet you here around 7:30?"

"Um, yeah, that's fine." Helga said. _'Arnold's going to meet me at my house before we walk to school! I thought this dream wouldn't happen until high school at least!'_ she thought joyously.

"And in class and stuff I'm not going to torment you like I used to. I already decided that. And...Arnold?"

"Yes, Helga?"

"If you wouldn't mind...could you maybe sit with me at lunch? Gerald can come too, as long as he keeps his jokes to a minimum."

"Helga, I would love to sit with you! And don't worry about Gerald; I'll talk to him about not teasing you or making any jokes."

"Ok, thanks Arnold. Just don't tell him too much about why I'm suddenly doing a complete 360, ok? Let's just keep...those reasons between us."

"Of course, Helga. I would never share something private like that, especially not without talking to you about it first."

"Ok, thanks Arnold." Helga gave Arnold a hug, which he returned after a moment of surprise. They talked for a while about other things, then Arnold went home and Helga perfected her Monday plan.

Monday morning Helga was a wreck. As nervous as she had been about the things she and Arnold had done this past week, she was ten times more nervous now. There was every chance for everything to go horribly wrong and for today to be the worst day of her life. 'But you'll have Arnold with you, and he'll help you get through anything' she assured herself, thought she only half believed it.

Bringing her attention back to the matter at hand, Helga forced a brush through her tangled hair. Her hair had to look perfect today, since she had a little surprise for Arnold that she had just decided on the previous night.

Satisfied with her hair, Helga went down to the kitchen to look for breakfast. Olga had left the night before so that she could go back to her teaching job, but she had promised to keep in touch like always. That being said, there were no more fancy breakfasts waiting for Helga in the kitchen anymore. She settled on an apple, and packed a pack of crackers and an orange for lunch, along with a yahoo soda she found in the refrigerator.

Just as she was closing her lunchbox she heard the doorbell. _'Arnold!'_ she thought excitedly. Checking her reflection one last time in the mirror on the wall, Helga took a deep breath and opened the door. In the back of her mind she realized that lately, opening this door had been pretty stressful for her. But nothing like today.

All of her worries dissipated though when she saw Arnold, dressed in his classic style, standing on her front stoop with a shocked look on his face.

"Hey Football Hey, you ready for the first day of school?"

"Helga...your hair!"

"Is on my head?" she patted her head as though checking that she indeed had hair, "Yep, it's there! Thanks for checking Hair Boy."

"No, your hair...Helga, you're wearing your hair down!" Arnold finally managed to say.

"What? Oh, yeah, that. Well I figured if I'm throwing my reputation to the wolves I might as well go all the way, huh?" truthfully, Helga had other motives for wearing her hair down. She knew Arnold liked it, and she wanted to thank him for helping her have the courage to do all of this, along with putting up with her bullying for so many years. This was her small gift to him.

"It looks beautiful, Helga! Really, you look great!" Arnold said as they started walking down the street.

"Thanks Arnold. Just go easy on the complement near the school. I don't need my face to be read as a tomato when we walk in there, do I?"

"No, I suppose not. Helga...I'm really proud of you for doing this. I know it's hard for you, but I think you're going to happy once you don't feel like you have to hide."

"Thanks, Arnold. For everything."

"Of course, Helga. Like I said, anything you need, I'm here for you."

The two walked for a ways just enjoying each other's company, but neither seemed to realize when their hands met, and didn't separate an inch as they approached P.S. 118.

**A/N**

**Hope you enjoyed it! Don't worry, plenty of other super cute stuff to come in the next chapter! Thanks again for your reviews, follows, favorites, and of course just for even reading it in the first place!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello my loyal readers! Your patience has not been in vain, for I have here the next chapter! Yes, it's time for school, plus some extra since this chapter is extra long for two reasons. 1) I really wanted to treat you guys 2) it's birthday time for Queen Kalana874! Happy Birthday! Ok, I'm not going to spoil anything about this chapter, but I do want to say that it's ****_not_**** over after this! There is more! But, for now I present to you probably my favorite chapter that I've written so far. Ok, ok, enough stalling. Here you go!**

**Disclaimer: We've covered this enough by now I think.**

Chapter 13

As Arnold and Helga entered the schoolyard they were met with the shocked faces of their classmates, save Phoebe who Helga had informed of her plan. All was silent as Arnold and Helga climbed the front steps and walked to the door. Just when Arnold thought that no one was going to make a scene they heard Herald yell

"Hey Helga! Did you lose a bet or something? You look all giiiiirrrly!" he started laughing, but it didn't last long. Helga turned around and grabbed Herald by the collar with one hand, the other one still holding Arnold's hand.

"Listen Pink Boy, and listen good: what I do with my life is my business, and nobody else's. So if you know what's good for you, you won't say one more word about it. Do I make myself clear?"

"Um, yeah, sure. You got it, Helga!" Herald stuttered in fright.

"Good!" Helga released him and turned with Arnold to go into their new classroom.

After checking out their lockers, which happened to be right next to each other this year, Arnold and Helga joined their classmates in the mad crush to go meet their new teacher. Everyone had been sad to leave Mr. Simmons, but they were excited to meet the fifth grade teacher. Gathered in a group outside the door, Arnold (who was still holding Helga's hand) reached out and opened the teacher and classroom within.

"Hello boys and girl! I'm so glad to see my special class again!"

"MR. SIMMONS!" everyone exclaimed.

"I thought you taught fourth grade!"

"Are you going to be our teacher all year?"

"We missed you!" The voices all joined together into one big sound, and Mr. Simmons couldn't have been happier to have his "tribe" back.

"I missed you all, too! That's why I decided to teach you again! Let's take our seats and I'll explain everything before we start our extra special first day of school." once everyone was seated, Mr. Simmons began to tell them the story of how he had convinced Principal Wartz to let him teach fifth grade. All through his story, it didn't escape Mr. Simmons' that Arnold and Helga seemed to be getting along much better than they had the previous year. They were sitting next to each other, no longer holding hands, and Arnold kept giving Helga reassuring glances whenever she looked at him. He had a feeling that he would be getting many more extra special poems from Helga very soon.

Soon it was time for recess, which Helga knew would be the true test of the day. She and Arnold entered the schoolyard and she stopped, unable to move farther than the school wall.

"Helga?" Arnold asked, "Are you ok?"

"Arnold, they're going to eat me alive! I shouldn't have done this! I should have just left everything alone and never said anything! My life was alright before, but now what's going to happen? They're going to destroy me! I'll have to change schools! I'll have to change cities! I'll...I'll..." at this point Helga was more talking to herself than Arnold, but clearly she was upset, and Arnold couldn't stand the idea of her being this afraid of something as simple and wonderful as being herself.

Arnold had been doing a lot of thinking lately, and he had come to a realization that he knew he should have had a long time ago: he and Helga had something really special. She wasn't just his friend, she was...something more. But he knew one thing for sure. Helga G. Pataki was the reason he smiled everyday since he had known her.

That being said, he knew he had to do something to help her feel better. He gently took her arm and pulled her around the corner of the school and behind the dumpsters so they could be alone.

"Helga," he said as he took her other hand so that he could both of them, "Everything will be fine. You've come this far, and nothing all that bad has happened. You're the bravest girl I know, and I know you can do this." by this time Helga had calmed down a little, but she was still shaking. That changed, though, when to her surprise Arnold stretched up on his toes so that he was just tall enough to kiss her gently on her cheek.

She looked at him for several seconds before she could find her voice.

"Arnold...I...thank you." she smiled, and then leaned down just a little to kiss him on his cheek in return.

"Of course, Helga. I'll always be there for you, especially when you need me most; I promise." they stood in silence for a few minutes, absorbing what had just happened between them.

"Helga?" Arnold asked slowly, unsure as to how to pose the question he needed to ask.

"Yes, Arnold?"

"Would you...well, that is...sorry, I don't really know how to do this. Um, would you...maybe...like to get ice cream at Slauson's later...like as a...date?" he finally finished.

Helga was completely stunned; Arnold had just asked her on a date. _Arnold had just asked her on a __**DATE!**_

"Arnold, I would love to, more than anything in the world!" she said so happily she almost sounded like Olga.

"Really?" Arnold asked.

"Of course, Arnold! This has been a dream of mine for years!"

"Well, I'm...I'm glad I could make your dream come true." Arnold blushed.

"Arnold, you did that the day I confessed and you didn't let me run away." Helga said shyly. Arnold noted in the back of his mind that a shy Helga was really cute.

"ARNOLD AND HELGA SITTING IN A TREE!" they suddenly heard from the playground. Pulled from her happy dream-like moment so rudely, Helga wasted no time in storming out into plain view with Arnold hurrying to keep up.

"OK, WHO WAS IT?" Helga yelled at the top of her voice. She looked around the playground until her eyes landed on Sid, who was standing with Herald and Stinky, trying to suppress his laughter; she walked over with murder her eyes.

"Say that one more time, Frog Boy. Really, try me!" she said in a deadly serious voice. Arnold wanted to step in so Helga didn't actually hurt anyone, but he knew that this was her battle, and that she needed to handle it her way.

Helga meanwhile was still glaring at Sid. He was still trying not to laugh, which didn't help his situation much, but he tried to apologize. Helga put him down and turned to walk away. "That's what I though!" she said under her breath. Just then she heard a not so quiet voice say "I guess having a boyfriend's made Helga G. Pataki go soft!" in an instant Helga was back on Sid, and for once it look very serious.

"You listen to me, _Sidney_. If you value your face, leave Arnold and I alone. I can pound you any day of the week and don't forget it!"

Sid was very pale, and clearly terrified; Arnold couldn't just stand by anymore.

"Helga, um, could you put Sid down?"

"Give me one good reason why I should." Arnold thought fast and whispered in her ear so that only she could hear.

"If you get detention for fighting then you'll miss our date. And I would miss you."

Helga turned pale pink, then set Sid down.

"Alright, Sid, you're lucky I've got better things to do than teach you a lesson. But know this: you do this again, and I won't let you off so easy."

Having prevented Helga from attacking Sid for the time being at least, Arnold turned his attention to the ready of their class, who had gather to watch the scene.

"Listen, everyone!" he began.

"What are you doing, Football Head?" Helga asked quietly.

"Don't worry, Helga. I've got this," Arnold turned back to their class, "Okay, you guys, I know this is all pretty different for you, but that doesn't give you the right to make jokes about Helga or I. So Helga's a little different from what you thought you knew; at least she's doing something that lots people don't do: she's being herself, and not backing down from her decision just because of a few hurtful comments," he looked at Herald and Sid, "She's doing what she thinks is right, and I think she's really brave for doing that."

While Arnold had been speaking, Helga had been standing next to him turning more and more pink. It had always been a fantasy of hers to have Arnold stand up and defend her honor, but now that it was actually happening she was more than a little embarrassed, though still touched. A few people in the crowd of fifth grades mumbled apologies, and slowly people went back to what they had been doing. Just as Helga was about to drag Arnold back behind the trash cans for another private talk, Sheena and Nadine walked up to her.

"That was really touching," Sheena said, smiling.

"Yeah, Arnold's really great. You're a lucky girl, Helga," Nadine added.

"Yeah, I am," Helga said wistfully as she looked at Arnold, who was waiting a short distance from her.

"And for what it's worth, I think what you're doing _is_ really brave," Sheena added. Nadine nodded her agreement.

"Well thanks, guys. I'm glad not everyone has it out for me."

Sheena and Nadine departed, but before Helga could get to Arnold she was once again stopped, this time by Ronda.

"Helga, that was absolutely the sweetest thing ever!" she gushed, then lowered her voice so only Helga could hear, "So tell me...are you and Arnold, like, and thing now?!"

"What?!" Helga asked in shock.

"Are you and Arnold dating! Duh!" Ronda rolled her eyes, but then continued looking intently at Helga for her answer.

"Look Princess, what goes on between Football Head and I is between us unless otherwise noted. So why don't you take your gossip-loving nose and stick it in someone else's business, okay?" and with that Helga left a dumbstruck Ronda standing alone on the four square court.

Finally making her way back to Arnold, Helga grabbed his hand and pulled him back behind the dumpsters. Arnold was about to speak when Helga leaned in a planted the sweetest kiss she could right on his forehead.

"Helga...thanks," he blushed darkly, but he was smiling, "what was that for?"

"For being the sweetest boy on the planet who would risk public humiliation just to defend me from a couple of knuckleheads."

"Well I couldn't let you take all of that by yourself. I said I would be there for you, and I meant it. But..." Arnold stood on the very tips of his toes, but he was only tall enough to kiss Helga's nose, which he did, "I still think you're the bravest girl I know."

Helga blushed darkly and began stuttering, "Oh, well...I mean it's not like...well...thanks Arnold." she finally managed. She gave him a hug that he happily returned, and then they walked back to the school just as the bell was ringing.

The bell for lunch had just rung, and Helga was slightly less nervous than she had been for recess. Still, she didn't let go of Arnold's hand as they approached the cafeteria doors.

"Arnold, are you sure this is going to be okay?" Helga asked for the hundredth time.

"Yes, Helga, everything will be fine. I promise I won't leave you alone. Unless you want me to, that is." Arnold grinned.

"Not likely, Football Head. My heart feels like it's going to break my ribs!"

"Well...maybe this will help..." Arnold glanced around to make sure no one was watching them (this was something meant for he and Helga only), and lifted her hand to place a light kiss on it.

"Better?" he whispered.

"Um, y-yeah." Helga mumbled, turning pink. Arnold chuckled at her cute reaction and opened the door before them.

The cafeteria was as it always had been, with students either sitting with friends or standing in line to buy their lunch. But as soon as Arnold and Helga stepped in, every head in the room turned to look at them.

"Everyone's looking at us..." Helga said under her breath.

"It's okay, Helga," Arnold murmured, "let's just get our lunch and sit with Gerald and Phoebe."

They walked over to the lunch line and each picked up a tray, managing this while still holding hands. They each got a sandwich, milk, and carrot sticks, but when they came to the end there was only one chocolate pudding left.

"You can have it" they said in unison. They looked at each other and smiled.

"How about we share it?" Arnold suggested.

"Sounds good to me!" Helga said, grabbing two spoons.

They walked over to the table at which their best friends sat and took their own seats, only now releasing hands in order to eat.

"So, Pataki," Gerald started, "This is the new you?"

"Eh, the hair isn't going to be a regular thing, but for the most part yeah, pretty much. But don't forget I can still kick you butt!"

"Hey, don't worry about me! Scouts honor! Actually, for what it's worth I agree with Arnold; what you're doing is really brave, and I respect that."

Helga looked at Gerald for a moment, then shrugged and smiled and continued eating her lunch.

The four friends talked for the rest of lunch, and Helga couldn't help but be filled with joy at being able to openly enjoy sitting next to the most perfect little football-headed boy in the world.

"Ready Helga?" Arnold asked, closing his locker. The first day of school was over, and Arnold and Helga were ready to go out on their ice cream date.

"Almost, I just, um, well I'll be right back, ok?"

"Of course, Helga. I'll wait right here for you."

"Thanks, Arnold. I won't be long." Helga headed around the corner of the hallway, then broke into a sprint until she reached the nearest girls bathroom. Helga had been hoping that Arnold would ask her on a real date ever since their picnic, and in the event it happened at a time when she wouldn't be able to go home first, she had put together an emergency kit so she would be ready.

Helga looked intently in the mirror, then pulled a small hairbrush from the bag and brushed out the few tangles that had formed throughout the day. She applied some of the pomegranate lip gloss she still had from the night she went to Arnold's house for dinner, and straightened her bow. 'Not too bad if I do say so!' she thought with a grin.

While Arnold waited for Helga, Gerald appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

"Hey man, so what's really the deal with Helga? Did she lose a bet?"

"No, Gerald, this is really how she is. Haven't I always told you she was really a nice person?" Arnold asked.

"Yeah, but I never actually believed you. So what's up with you and her? Are you two, you know, together?"

"Gerald!" Arnold exclaimed, "I don't think that's something Helga would like me to talk about, at least for now. But, honestly...I really like her, Gerald. Like, I really really like her. She's nice, and funny, and creative, and-"

"Arnold, I hate to interrupt, but please spare me the details. I really don't need the mental image!" Gerald said.

"Right, sorry Gerald."

"Hey Arnold, sorry to keep you waiting." Helga said, returning from the bathroom.

"Oh, it's fine, Helga. Are you ready?"

"Mhm, ready when you are! See you later Geraldo." she chuckled.

"Same to you, Pataki." Gerald smiled. He still couldn't believe that Helga was really this nice person, or that Arnold had apparently fallen for her, but as long as Arnold was happy Gerald couldn't really complain. And who knew? Maybe one day he and Helga could learn to get along.

After saying goodbye to Gerald and leaving the school, Helga and Arnold arrived at Slauson's in record time. They sat in the back so they could have some privacy, and each ordered their favorite; Arnold mint chip, Helga fudge swirl.

"So, Helga," Arnold began, taking another bite of his ice cream, "You made it through your first full day of school being yourself; how do you feel?"

"Honestly? Like I'm on top of the world! I mean, what can I really complain about? I started acting a little more like myself, and now I'm on a real date with the sweetest guy in the world who fully believed in me from the beginning! My life is pretty sweet." Helga smiled and took another bite of her own ice cream.

"Well you know, Helga, I think being a little bit...assertive, is also a part of who you are. I mean, you definitely showed that there's more to you than that today, but I don't think you should completely disregard that part of you. Besides, you wouldn't be Helga if you didn't boss us all around a little; you're often the only thing that keeps us focused when we really need it, like during baseball games; I have a tendency to space out sometimes."

"Sometimes? Arnold, you spend more time cloud watching than a weatherman!" Helga laughed.

"Yeah, but you always bring me back to down to earth, don't you Helga?"

"Well, someone has to."

As they ate the rest of their ice cream, Helga remembered a certain code name that she had been known to use in the past, and she couldn't help but chuckle.

"What's so funny, Helga?" Arnold asked, noting how cute her laugh was.

"Oh, Arnold you're going to love this! You see, when I first starting going to Phoebe for advice about my...obsession-"

"Touching love that went unrequited for far too long due to my denseness, but just once again demonstrates your amazing ability to never give up one something or someone you care about." Arnold corrected.

"Whatever, Hair Boy, call it what you like. Anyway, I wasn't really comfortable flat out telling Phoebe who I was..."touchingly in love" with, even though I think she already knew, so I used "ice cream" as your code name. Kinda crazy, huh?"

"No, it's not crazy at all. Actually, I think it's kind of cute that you gave me a special nickname, even if it was just because you hadn't yet found the courage to admit your love to anyone." Helga blushed a light pink, trying to grasp the concept of Arnold liking her code name for him.

"Actually," Arnold continued, "I kind of like _all_ of the nicknames you've given me over the years. Let's see, there was Arnoldo, Hair Boy, Head Boy, and my personal favorite, Football Head"

"Wait wait _wait_...are you actually saying that over the _seven years_ that I called you names _every day_, you just found them..."

"Kind of special." Arnold supplied, "You've got it, Helga!"

"Wow...Arnold, I think you might be even crazier than me!" Helga joked.

"You're not crazy, Helga, you're unique, and you couldn't be better."

"Arnold, I swear if you keep making me blush with all of these compliments my face is going to be stuck this color!" Helga exclaimed.

"Well, you...you look really pretty when you blush, so I don't think it would be _that_ bad..." he grinned.

Helga just blushed more and gave Arnold a light sock on the arm.

Some time later Arnold and Helga had finished their ice cream and were walking to the park. Arnold had invited Helga, saying there was something he wanted to tell her. Helga was more than nervous to say the least. '_What does he want to tell me? Is it good? What if it's __bad__? Oh, why does he have to keep it a surprise?'_

"Arnold, whatever it is, can't you just tell me here?" Helga asked for the fifth time as they approached the park gate.

"No, Helga, I can't. I'm sorry, but it has to be here, and you'll understand when we get there. Until then you'll just have to be patient." he said with a little smile playing on his lips. '_Those perfect little lips that just...no, stop it Helga! You're supposed to be trying to get Arnold to tell you what's going on! But he's just so cute when he's got a little scheme in the works...'_ Helga was pulled from her thoughts at the sound of Arnold's voice.

"Ok, Helga, we're here. Do you know why?" he asked. Helga looked around; they were standing in front of the lake in the middle of the park with no one in sight.

"Honestly, Arnold, I really don't know why we're here. Will you just tell me?" Arnold smiled and squeezed her hand that he had been holding all the way from Slauson's.

"We're here," he began, "Because, well, I _wanted_ us to be at the beach, but since I can't drive I thought this would be an okay substitute. Besides, I wanted to make this as special as possible, since I only get one chance to do this right."

"Arnold, what are you talking about?" Helga asked, completely perplexed.

"Helga," Arnold smiled sweetly, "These past few weeks have been the best ever. I can't believe it took me seven years to see how wonderful you are, but you really are very special. You're kind, and smart, and beautiful, and talented, and I can't imagine anyone more amazing than you. Helga...I love you. Will...will you be my girlfriend?"

This whole time Helga had been standing with her hand over her mouth in shock. She had never in a million years expected Arnold to actually...say that he...loved her. And in such a romantic spot! The water sparkled in the late afternoon sun and created the perfect backdrop, almost like a movie. '_But this is better...this is real! He...he really...oh my gosh! He...l-l-loves m-me?'_

"Arnold...I...I..." Helga could think of think of nothing to say. Arnold had completely stolen her ability to speak. She settled for nodding, feeling her cheeks turn _very_ pink, but not caring in the slightest.

Arnold's smile stretched all the way from one side of his wide head to the other. Standing on his toes to even out their height, he wrapped his arms around Helga and leaned in to kiss her gently on the cheek. But Helga was having none of that; at the very last second she turned her head to the side just slightly so that their lips met.

Arnold felt like he was going to explode, only in the best way possible. He hadn't wanted to rush Helga with the kiss, but she clearly wasn't shy about it! Not that he was complaining in the slightest! She was so soft, and warm, and her hair was soft under his fingers as he slowly stroked his hands through it; he could feel her hands in his hair as well, twirling a small piece around one of her delicate fingers.

Helga was in pure _ecstasy_! Life could _not_ get more perfect than this. _Heaven_ couldn't be more perfect than this! She could feel his hands playing with her hair and she knew that if it wasn't for his arms around her to keep her up she would be melted into a puddle of love on the ground right then and there.

Arnold gently broke their kiss, mostly because he needed to breathe. He looked at Helga, and immediately became concerned; she looked like she was going to cry!

"Helga, what's wrong? Did...I do something wrong?"

"No, not at all! Arnold...I've been dreaming of something like this happening for _years_! You just made today the best day of my life! How could _anything_ be wrong with that?"

"Then why are you crying?" Arnold released on of her hands just long enough to dry her face with his shirt sleeve.

"Arnold, these are tears of joy!" she smiled, trying to stop her tears nonetheless just so Arnold would stop worrying.

"Oh Helga..." was all Arnold could say before pulling her into a tight hug, and Helga hugged Arnold right back. Without either having to say anything, they both knew; everything was right in the world.

**A/N**

**Hey guys! I just wanted to say I hope you liked this chapter! (And I hope it makes an ok gift, Queen Kalana874! Happy B-day again!) Sorry if it get's a little hard to follow at times; I went through and added little bits and rewrote stuff so many times I got a little dizzy! I just hope it makes you all smile! Hugs! And thanks in advance for any reviews/follows/favorites/etc. You guys rock hard!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Holy shiitake mushrooms! I bet you guys thought I disappeared forever, leaving you without a good ending, right? WRONG! I'm back, and I bring another chapter in apology (sorry it's a bit short)! This chapter went through a lot, so sorry if it's not as good as the others. I hope it still makes you smile!**

**Disclaimer: I own Hey Arnold and I'm making the Jungle Movie starting tomorrow! *Phone rings* Hello? Oh, Hi Nick. What? I don't? Ok. *hangs up phone* I actually ****_don't_**** own Hey Arnold, but there's still a chance for TJM! Keep asking Nick ****_very_**** nicely!**

Chapter 14

After a few minutes of hugging and smiling, Arnold and Helga had decided on taking a walk through the park. Hand in hand, they followed the paths that wound through the park with no real destination in mind, only that they didn't want to part ways anytime soon. The more they walked the more they noticed places that meant something to them; the bench where they had found the egg they had lost while trying to take care of it for a school project, Mighty Pete, and of course now the lake, where Arnold had just asked Helga to be his girlfriend.

Just as they came upon one of the park entrances, Helga tripped over a loose stone in the path and fell forward.

"Helga!" Arnold exclaimed.

"Don't worry, Football Head, I'm fine." however, Helga had heard a strange sound when she fell, something that sounded like a *_clink_*. Looking up as she got to her feet (with Arnold insisting on helping), Helga what had made the sound: her locket lay face up on the path, the glass cracked in a jagged spiderweb. She picked it up gently, and looked at it in shock; she had always kept this locket so safe, and now it was broken. A lump formed in her throat, although she wasn't entirely sure why. Arnold looked over her shoulder to see what it was that had fallen from her pocket, then he looked at Helga, who looked very upset.

"Helga," Arnold began slowly, "I...I might be able to fix it, if you want."

"No, it...it's...fine," Helga mumbled, "It's just...a locket, after all." But Arnold wasn't fooled; this locket was very special to her, and it being broken made her very upset. Without another word Arnold took her hand and began leading her out of the park in the direction of his house.

"Arnold, what are you doing?" Helga asked.

"Making you feel better." he answered simply. Helga tried to protest all the way from the park to Arnold room, but he continued walking with just as much purpose as ever.

"Arnold, really, it's not that important!" she tried for the hundredth time.

"Helga," Arnold said as he looked through a box of odds and ends, "Clearly this locket is special to you. Even if you won't admit it, I know you're upset that it's broken; I can't just not do anything." Helga sighed in defeat, though really she was touched that he cared this much.

"Alright, you win! Go ahead and be the helpful little do-gooder that you are." Helga began lifting out the broken glass shards, but she wasn't quite careful enough.

"Ow! Darn it!" she yelled as a particularly sharp piece of glass cut her finger.

"Helga, are you ok?" Arnold asked, clearly worried.

"Yeah, I just cut my finger; I'll live." Arnold gently took her hand in his and examined the cut. Wordlessly he pulled a small first aid kit from a shelf next to his stereo and pulled out a Band-Aid. He peeled off the backing and wrapped it around her finger, then placed a kiss on top.

"All better?" he asked.

"Yeah" she smiled. Arnold smiled back, then turned back to the locket. He carefully removed the last of the glass and replaced it with a new piece.

"There, now this is fixed, too." he said as he handed it back to Helga.

"Arnold...it's better than fixed, because _you_ fixed it! And not only did you fix it...well, you didn't run away in terror. Don't you think I'm a crazy stalker or something?"

"Helga, I've told you, you're not crazy."

"But I have your picture in a locket that I carry with me daily!"

"And I'd love to hear the story of how that started, if you'd tell me."

"Well sure, I mean if-wait...what?" Helga asked, sure she had heard wrong.

"If you'll tell me, I'd really like to hear the story of how you decided to start carrying my picture with you." Arnold repeated.

"You...you really want to hear that story?" Arnold nodded.

"Alright, Hair Boy, you asked for it!" they sat on the couch, and Helga began her story, "Well, in the beginning I had found the idea in a book at the library, but being three I had no way to get a real locket, so I cut your picture out of the class photo and glued to a paper heart. A few years later I had saved up enough money to buy a real locket, and I got a new picture every year on your birthday. You know how they put your picture in the school paper on your birthday? Well when no one was looking I'd stick on in my backpack until I got home and I could put it in my locket."

"Wow, that must have taken a lot of planning, Helga!"

"Eh, it was easier than you might think."

Neither really knew what to say after that, and so they drifted into a slightly awkward silence.

"I, um, I should probably head home and start that essay Mr. Simmons assigned" Helga finally said, just to break the silence.

"Yeah, I should start a rough draft too" Arnold agreed, "Could, um, could I maybe...walk you home, Helga?"

"If you really want to, who am I to say no?" Helga smiled. Arnold wanted to walk her home again! And so they walked, hand in hand, to Helga's house. Helga was still in a bit of a daze every time Arnold held her hand, and she still couldn't really believe he was her...her b-b-b...heck, she couldn't even think it! It just sounded so...official. Sure, she had always dreamed of the day she could call Arnold her boyfriend, but she hadn't thought it would happen until at least seventh grade, if not high school!

"Helga?" Arnold asked, breaking into her thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, Arnold. Guess I got a little lost there; what were you saying?"

"I was saying that we're at your house, and that...maybe sometime we could...do our homework together?"

"Um, yeah, sure! That sounds really nice."

"Really? Great!" Arnold tried to mask just how excited he was; Helga was really nice, when she wanted to be, and he wanted to spend more time with her.

"Yeah. So, uh, thanks again for fixing my locket. You really didn't have to."

"You're welcome, Helga. Anything to make you happy."

"So, see you tomorrow?" Helga asked.

"Mhm. Should I...pick you up again, so we can walk together?"

"If you want. But, if you did...I wouldn't object."

"Okay," Arnold smiled. He blushed lightly before giving Helga a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I love you, Helga."

"Arnold..." Helga was blushing, but she also looked...concerned?

"Helga? Is something wrong?" Arnold asked.

"It's just...you keep saying that, but...Arnold, I've waited for years to hear you say that, but I...I want you to know that you mean it before you say it. _Really_ know. Because if you say it, and then don't mean it...I-I don't know what I'd do. Do you understand, Arnold?" Helga held her breath, waiting for his response.

"I understand, Helga. I promise, I'll do plenty of thinking, and then I'll prove it to you, but there's one thing I want you to know: I thought long and hard about what I said to you today before I decided to tell you. I would never want to hurt you, Helga, in any way. _Ever_."

"I know, Arnold. Thank you; I really appreciate that you're being so okay with all of this. And I do mean _all_ of this! The locket, the shrines, the poetry, _everything_." Arnold hugged her one more time and whispered "Anything for you, Helga", then departed for home. He had an idea for the perfect way to prove to Helga that, no matter how worried she was, he really did love her. He had thought about everything for days between their picnic (and Helga's confession) and the day she had asked him to come over to help her plan for the first day of school. He knew they were only ten, but he also knew that he loved Helga. Love was a hard word to define, but it was the best way he could describe his feelings; she made him feel warm and happy whenever she was around, and when they held hands it was like every nerve in his hand was extra sensitive. He just had to show Helga that he really did love her, and make her believe him.

When Arnold got home he went directly up to his room. He pulled a notebook from his bag and flipped to a new page. Then slowly, carefully, he began writing.

After a few hours he was satisfied with his work. That done he turned his attention to the homework Mr. Simmons had assigned that day: My Summer Vacation.

Arnold started writing his rough draft, but as he went on he realized more had happened over this past summer than he had thought. He had started out just talking about playing baseball with his friends, but as he came to the beach he found himself noticing something: he had learned a lot about himself and Helga this summer. He added in being on Babe Watch, but he omitted the kiss; that was for he and Helga alone. Finally, he wrote about coming back to Hillwood and getting to know Helga better, and how excited he was for the new school year. After some editing, Arnold was satisfied with his work, and he tucked it in his "Completed Homework" folder.

Back at Helga's house, things were pretty similar to Arnold's; Helga was laying on her bed, writing. However, she wasn't working on homework, but instead a poem. It was the best way she could think of to sort out her thoughts. 'Arnold loves me! But what if his definition of love is different from mine? And even if we do mean it the same way, in a few years, or even a few months, he might decide it was just a crush, and if that happened...I'd die. I don't know what I'd do. I can't even imagine it. But then again, if he really does mean it...then that means...it finally happened. All of my dreams are happening, right here and now. Which is why if he doesn't mean it...oh criminy, I'm talking myself in circles!' Helga thought as she stared at the poem that lay half-finished in front of her.

_These words you speak I barely understand_

_What did it mean when you held my hand?_

_All my life I've dreamed for this,_

_For you to return my love with a simple kiss._

_You say you love me, but how can it be true?_

_You say you love me, and I don't know what to do._

"Ugh, I give up!" she exclaimed. She shut her book and stowed it under her mattress, then pulled out her notebook to start her essay.

"Ok, so, "My Summer Vacation". Well, since I spent pretty much all summer stalking Arnold, I guess it's time to make something up. Hmmm...played baseball at Gerald Field, hung out with Phoebe, read books...yeah, that should work." But as she wrote, Helga felt a slight nagging in the back of her mind. She was leaving out the biggest part of her summer, and it felt...wrong. Like she was still trying to hide everything by denying it ever happened. So, after a bit of internal arguing, Helga added one last thing to her paper.

"_One other thing happened this summer: I made a new friend. Or rather, I got to know an old friend better, and let him get to know the real me. It hasn't been easy, but it has been worth it."_

Helga closed her notebook and pulled out the rest of her homework, all the while thinking of Arnold.


	15. Chapter 15

**Wow, it feels like I've been gone forever! But I'm back, and with me I bring a super cute little chapter ;) Get you squeals and "awwww"'s ready, cuz you're gonna need 'em! (At least I hope it's that good!) Thank you to everyone who keeps reviewing! I love reading your thoughts...that sounded weird, didn't it? Haha, well you know what I mean! Now, before you get to the story I have an important announcement!**

**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: I have a poll on my profile that concerns an idea I had for the near future. If you're interested please go check it out so you can get in on the fun (if enough people like my idea, that is.) Ok, ok, enough of my talking, right? ON TO THE CHAPTER!**

**Disclaimer: Hey Arnold is not mine, because if it was than we would have had TJM ****_years_**** ago!**

Chapter 15

Tuesday afternoon the bell rang, signaling the end of the second day of school. As everyone packed up their things, Helga felt something land in her lap. She looked down to see a small folded piece of paper. Careful not to let anyone see it, Helga unfolded the note and read its contents.

Helga,

Will you go to the Cheese Festival with me this weekend?

Arnold

_'That Football Head!'_ Helga thought in amusement, _'He could just ask me, since it is the end of the day, but no. He has to go and do something cute just because he knows it'll make me smile!' _Helga looked around for Arnold, and upon not seeing him figured he was at his locker. Quickly she scribbled her own note, then ran off to find Arnold.

Indeed, Arnold was getting books from his locker, and Helga had a perfect plan to give him the note. Walking casually past him, in one quick motion Helga slipped the note under his little blue hat.

Arnold felt his hat shift slightly and reached up to adjust it. That's when he realized there was something tucked under it. Looking around in confusion he pulled out the small note and read it.

Arnold,

Did you really think I would say no? Honestly, Hair Boy! But yes, I would love to

go to the Cheese Festival with you. There's a certain ride I've been wanting to go on

for a while with you...

Helga

_'A certain ride, what could that be?' _Arnold wondered. He looked around once more for Helga, and finally spotted her a little ways down the hall. She was looking at him, as though watching for his reaction to the note. He smiled at her and, after making sure no one was looking, blew her a kiss. Helga turned bright red and looked away, then looked back at Arnold. With a quick glance around, she mimed catching his kiss and tucking it in the same pocket he now knew held her locket. They both smiled and went their separate ways for the day.

"I'm telling you, Pheebs, just ask him! He's not going to say no!"

"I know you think so, Helga, but I just can't do it. I can't even imagine...if I actually...no, I can't, I just can't!" Helga and Phoebe were sitting in Phoebe's room talking about the Cheese Festival. For the past ten minutes Helga had been trying to convince Phoebe to ask Gerald to go with her, and Phoebe had been denying her ability to do so.

"Phoebe, if I can show up at school with my hair down, a blue backpack, and holding Arnold's hand, you can at least put a note in his locker or something!"

"But Helga, you're so much braver than me! I could never do that!"

"Sure you could, Pheebs! Here, what if you write a note, and I'll put it in Tall Hair Boy's locker for you?"

"I wouldn't even know what to say." Phoebe sighed. She really would like to go to the Cheese Festival with Gerald, but she was much too shy to even ask him.

"Criminy, do I have to do everything?" Helga smiled at Phoebe to let her know she was joking, then grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, "Okay, Phoebe, I'll dictate, you write."

"Helga..."

"No, really, Phoebe, this'll work! Just trust me. Okay, so...how about 'Gerald, would you like to join me at the Cheese Festival this Friday?' Do you think you could do that?"

"Perhaps..." Phoebe said slowly. She signed the note, folded it, and wrote 'To: Gerald From: Phoebe' on the front.

"So you'll really put it in Gerald's locker for me?" she asked.

"Of course, Pheebs! After all, how many times have you helped me out with 'ice cream'?"

"Thank you so much, Helga. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Eh, don't worry about it. Anything to help get you and Geraldo in the tunnel of love, right?" Helga joked.

"Helga!" Phoebe blushed brightly; sure, maybe a part of her wished that she and Gerald might end up on that particular ride, but hearing Helga say it aloud was too much.

"I'm sorry, Phoebe, I couldn't resist!" Helga chuckled. Secretly, she herself had her own plans for that ride, as well as the Ferris Wheel. More than anything she had wanted to have a romantic ride on both since she had first gone to the Cheese Festival with Olga when she was five. She had snuck off and found the tunnel of love, and she had seen the Ferris Wheel from the entrance and had decided right then that one day she and Arnold would ride them both together.

Similar to Helga's thoughts, Arnold sat on his bed searching every nook and cranny for every last bit of allowance he had. He wanted to win Helga something at the Cheese Festival. Just as he was reaching up to a top shelf, he slipped and fell to the floor with a thud.

"You okay, Short Man?" his grandpa called from the other side of the door.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Thanks, Grandpa." Arnold called as he righted himself. Phil opened the door and chuckled at Arnold, who was sitting on the floor with his hair messed up and his sweater rather crooked.

"Hehe, well, Short Man, it looks like you had quite the tumble. What happened?"

"Well, I was trying to reach that box up there to see if I had saved any money in it, and I slipped."

"You need money for something, Arnold?"

"Yeah, just the Cheese Festival this weekend. I asked Helga to go with me, and I want to be able to treat her to some ice cream or something."

"Well why didn't you say so? Here," Phil pulled a few bills from his wallet, "There, now you can get sprinkles, too!" he chuckled.

"Grandpa, this is $20! I can't take this much!" Arnold exclaimed.

"Sure you can! You have fun with that girl, okay Short Man? She's a special one."

"Yeah, she sure is." Arnold agreed.

As the weekend drew closer both Helga and Phoebe were becoming more and more nervous. Phoebe, whose invitation was very enthusiastically accepted by Gerald, was sure she was going to say or do something embarrassing, though Helga kept telling her she'd be fine.

On the other hand, Helga was sure Arnold was going to "come to his senses" and decide that going to the Cheese Festival with Helga was crazy and break it off at the last-minute, though Phoebe told her that that wouldn't happen.

Finally it was Friday, and both girls were at Helga's house getting ready.

"Phoebe, do you think..." Helga stopped and looked at the bag of cosmetics in her lap that she had managed to swipe from Olga's room.

"What is it, Helga?"

"Well, I was wondering...do you think I should...you know, paint my nails and actually do my makeup?" Helga had retrieved the makeup mainly for Phoebe, who wanted to look extra special tonight, but in looking at the products before her, Helga was thinking that maybe she should try some too.

"Well, if you want to then I think you should. I could help, if you want" Phoebe offered.

"You'd do that, Pheebs?"

"Of course, Helga!" Phoebe picked up the pale pink eye shadow that Helga had been looking at and began lightly brushing it on her eyes.

After doing Helga's makeup and her own, and painting their nails, both girls changed into their specially chosen outfits. Helga wore the Valentines Day skirt and white shirt that she had worn to Arnold's for dinner, and Phoebe wore a red sweater instead of a blue one.

The doorbell rang, and both girls ran to answer it. Helga opened the door and almost fainted; Arnold was wearing his plaid shirt over his sweater instead of under it, and although it was a small change it had a big impact on Helga. 'He looks...holy cow, he looks amazing!' she thought.

And judging by Phoebe's small squeak, she thought that same about Gerald, who was wearing his normal "33" shirt but had added a black jacket.

"Hi Helga," Arnold smiled and took her hand tentatively, "You, um, you look really nice."

"T-thanks A-Arnold" she stuttered.

Gerald and Phoebe had yet to say anything to each other, but they seemed to be communicating nonetheless. Gerald smiled at Phoebe, making her blush and smile back, which made Gerald blush.

Once they started walking everyone became less nervous, and by the time they got to the festival they were laughing and joking like always. Helga immediately wanted to go on some rides, but Gerald and Phoebe wanted to start with some games, so the two couples agreed to meet at the entrance at 9:00 so the could make it home by curfew.

Waving to their friends, Helga turned to Arnold.

"I don't really care what we do first, I just knew if we didn't get them alone now then we never would. What do you want to do first, Arnold?"

"Well, rides sound good if you want. We could go on the rollercoaster!"

"Um, Yeah, that sounds fun" Helga said, though inside she was much less confident; she had a slight fear of rollercoasters, especially big ones like they had here. But she screwed up her courage and got on anyway, blushing when the small seat meant that she and Arnold's legs were right up against each other.

They started the ascent and Helga realized she had made a mistake, but it was too late now. Her hands tightened on the bar in front of them and she shut her eyes. Then she felt something warm on her hand; it was Arnold's hand. He looked at her comfortingly,

"Don't worry, Helga. Everything's okay. Just hold my hand." And so she did; throughout the whole ride Helga held Arnold's hand tightly in her own, and it really did make things better. Maybe even fun.

They got off of the rollercoaster and Helga suggested playing some games while she recovered from the ride. Arnold spotted a ring toss game and decided he was going to win Helga a prize.

He tried twice, but he couldn't even get one ring on a bottle.

"It's ok, Arnold. Maybe you'll have better luck at a different game" Helga said. She didn't know his intention of winning her a prize, and that there was a specific one at this booth he wanted.

"Just one more try, then we can move on, ok?"

"Ok, if you really want to try again."

Arnold's first two rings bounced off of the edges of the bottles, just like before, but he had a good feeling about this last one. He aimed carefully and tossed the ring. It flew through the air and...landed right in the middle of a bottle!

"Congratulations kid! What prize do you want?" the man running the booth asked.

"That one, please." Arnold gestured to a pink and blue patchwork teddy bear. The man handed it to Arnold, who turned to Helga.

"Good choice, Hair Boy! That teddy bear is cute."

"I'm glad you think so, because...he's for you." Arnold smiled and tucked the bear in Helga's arms. She looked at it and blinked a few times, then pulled Arnold around the corner of the booth and gave him a huge hug.

"Arnold, could you be any more wonderful?" she laughed.

"I'm glad you like it, Helga."

"I love it, Arnold!" They emerged from behind the booth a few minutes later and looked around at the other rides and games, deciding that to do next.

"Why don't you pick, Helga?" Arnold offered.

"Oh, um, well there's really only one ride I want to go on, but I think it would be best to save it for last."

"Alright, then...how about the Ferris Wheel?" Arnold suggested.

Helga almost jumped for joy. He wanted to go on the Ferris Wheel with her! This was what she had been dreaming of for years! She nodded, and they walked over to the line.

As the ride began, Arnold put his hand on Helga's like he had done on the rollercoaster.

"Helga, you didn't just agree to go on this ride because I suggested it, like with the rollercoaster, did you?"

"No, Arnold, I can honestly say that I really wanted to go on this ride with you."

"Good. I wouldn't want you to agree to go on a ride you didn't like just for me," Arnold looked out over the fair below, "Wow, the view from up here is great!"

"Yeah, it really is!" Helga agreed, looking at all of the people below. While they were looking down, above them a loud _BOOM_ sounded.

"Look, Helga! They're setting off the fireworks!" Arnold and Helga watched the brightly colored lights explode across the sky. Arnold looked at Helga, who seemed mesmerized by the fireworks, and marveled at the way her eyes sparkled with the reflected lights from above. Helga noticed Arnold looking at her and blushed, suddenly self-conscious.

"Um, Arnold? Is...everything okay?"

"Yeah, sorry, Helga. I was just noticing how pretty your eyes look with the fireworks making them sparkle." _'Did I really just say that?'_

_'Did he really just say that?!' _both kids blushed, but at the same time slid just a little closer together on the seat.

"Um, t-thanks, Arnold" Helga said quietly.

"Helga?" Arnold asked.

"Y-yes, Arnold?"

Instead of finishing his question, Arnold gently took her left hand in his right, and leaned forward to kiss her cheek.

Helga melted against him and snuggled into his shoulder as he pulled away.

"Arnold?" she sighed dreamily.

"Yes, Helga?" Arnold replied.

"Thank you for making tonight absolutely perfect."

"Oh, um, you're welcome, Helga. Anything to make you happy."

"Also, I definitely like the "plaid shirt over" look. Very cute...and cuddly!" she finished with a little giggle. Arnold blushed, but he was happy she liked his outfit choice.

By the time the ride ended Helga had started to act a little less dreamy, but while she still had the courage that had come with Arnold's kiss she had a request.

"Arnold? I know we have to go meet Gerald and Phoebe, but do you think we could go on that one ride I mentioned earlier?"

"Sure, Helga. Which one is it?" Helga looked around until she found the ride she was looking for and gestured to it.

"The, um, t-t-tunnel of l-l-love" she stuttered quietly. Arnold blushed, but he smiled, too. He had figured out what Helga might have been referring to in her note when she said there was a "certain ride" she wanted to go on about five minutes before he and Gerald had left his house to pick up Helga and Phoebe.

"Of course we can go on it, Helga" he said as he led her to the line.

Helga's jaw dropped in shock; he was actually going to ride it with her? _Arnold was going to go on the tunnel of love with her?_ She was almost afraid to believe it, because this had to be a dream!

They climbed into a small boat shaped like two swans, and as the ride started Helga gave her arm a pinch.

"Ow! Oh wow..."

"Helga? What's wrong?" Arnold whispered.

"Nothing, I just pinched myself; I had to make sure this was all real!" she replied.

"Yes, Helga," Arnold smiled, "It's real."

They floated along, neither paying attention to the pictures that surrounded them; they were both too nervous. But slowly Helga became more comfortable, and she snuggled up to Arnold like she had on the Ferris Wheel and Arnold rested his head on hers. Just as the end of the ride was coming into view, Arnold gave Helga a quick kiss right on her lips, which left her speechless until the arrived at the entrance.

Gerald and Phoebe both looked like they had had the best night of their lives, and Helga was sure she and Phoebe would be having a long conversation about everything that had happened tonight in the morning. All in high spirits, the group left the festival and walked down the road together until Gerald and Phoebe had to go in the opposite direction as Arnold and Helga. They said their goodbyes and went in their respective directions.

Arnold was lost in thought, already replaying the night in his mind, when he heard Helga give a small cough. He looked at her quizzically.

"A-Arnold? Um, I was just wondering...well, I mean...oh never mind" she sputtered, her face becoming more and more tinged with pink as she spoke.

"Helga, please tell me what's on your mind. Especially after tonight, don't you trust me?"

"More than anyone else in the world, Arnold. Ok, so you really want to know? I was wondering if...maybe we could...you know, hold hands again?" she looked at her shoes and waited for his response.

Arnold chuckled a little and took her hand.

"Of course, Helga. I like holding your hand."

"You do?" she asked.

"I do." Helga smiled and almost started skipping.

They arrived at Helga's front door, much to her dismay; if it were up to her this night would never end.

"Well, I guess I should go in, huh?"

"Yeah. Thank you for coming with me tonight, Helga. It was the best Cheese Festival ever."

"Thank you for inviting me. It _was_ the best."

"...Helga?" Arnold began.

"Yes, Arnold?"

"Could I...could I kiss you goodnight?" Arnold blushed and rubbed his arm nervously; he had no idea how she would respond.

Helga, however, wasn't sure she could respond! _'He...he wants to...he really wants to...'_

"Um, y-yeah, o-okay" she said.

Arnold was still blushing, but he stretched up on his toes to match her height again, and kissed Helga gently. She once again seemed to melt into him, wrapping her arms around him to keep herself up.

They broke the kiss after a few seconds, and Arnold pulled Helga into a hug.

"I love you, Helga. Really, I do."

"I love you too, Arnold. More than anything."


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello everyone! Ok, before I get to the chapter I have to explain something: I know it's short. It's supposed to be. *ducks flying objects* Let me explain, ok? So, yes this chapter is short, but there are a few reasons why:**

**1) This poor chapter practically went through a shredder with editing.**

**2) I felt like ending it where I did was the right place to cut it off, even though it's short. Trust me, ok?**

**3) I'm going to add another chapter before the weekend is over, so please don't be ****_too_**** annoyed with the short chapter, ok?**

**Alright, thanks guys! And thanks again (and again and again) for the reviews! They make me smiley! :D see?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold.**

Chapter 16

Saturday afternoon Arnold and Helga had plans to get ice cream, and then go to the park. Arnold was currently standing outside the to-go window at Slauson's, waiting for Helga. When he saw her running toward him he felt like the sun just got a little brighter.

"Sorry I'm late, Hair Boy, I couldn't get away from Bob going on about this new beeper of some sort."

"That's okay, Helga. I haven't been waiting long."

They ordered their ice cream (chocolate for Helga and mint chip for Arnold), then began their walk to the park.

As they walked and ate their ice cream, Helga noticed something.

"Hey, this isn't chocolate, it's fudge ripple! Awesome!"

"Helga, fudge ripple is three dollars more than chocolate!"

"Yeah, that's why it's awesome!" Helga asked, enjoying her ice cream.

"But you only paid for the chocolate. You should go back and give them the rest of the money."

"What? Why?"

"Because it's the right thing to do."

"Arnold," Helga began, "This isn't a diamond ring. It's ice cream. So what if they gave me the wrong kind? It's not that big a deal."

"It is a big deal, Helga. Not paying the other three dollars is like stealing!"

"Arnold, you're blowing this way out of proportion! It's just ice cream! Let's just go to the park."

"No, Helga. If you won't go back and pay the money then I will." and with that, Arnold turned and started walking back the way they had come.

"Well fine! Who cares?" Helga yelled, and she turned and stomped back to her house.

When she got there she ran inside and flopped on her bed.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why didn't I just go back like he told me to? Now we're...we're in our first fight. Oh what have I done? What if he never wants to see me again? What if this is...the end of our..." she couldn't finish. Just the thought of losing Arnold, especially after knowing what it was like to have him love her back, brought a lump to her throat and tears to her eyes. She lay face down on her bed and cried for a long time.

Arnold, meanwhile, had gone and paid the three dollars and then went home.

"Hey, Short Man! Back so soon?" Phil asked.

"Yeah, things didn't go as well as we planned; I think Helga and I are in a fight."

"Oh, Arnold, that terrible. Is there anything your grandma or I can do to help?"

"No, I think this is something Helga and I need to work out on our own. Thanks for the offer, though, Grandpa."

"Any time, Arnold. You let us know if you change your mind."

"I will, Grandpa." Arnold climbed the stairs to the second floor of the boarding house and up to his room. He flopped on his bed and sighed; how could he fix this? Helga should have paid the extra money, but maybe he did make it a bigger deal than it really was. It was only three dollars, after all. But stealing was stealing, and not paying for the ice cream was wrong.

The more Arnold thought about what happened, the worse he felt. Then, an entirely new thought occurred to him; although she didn't always show it, Helga was very sensitive. After all these years waiting for him, and now them fighting, she must be very upset. Maybe even...even enough to cry.

Arnold could count on one hand the number of times he'd seen Helga G. Pataki cry, and the thought of her that upset now, and he being the cause of it, was more than he could bear.

These thoughts kept playing through his mind for the rest of the day, and by the time he went to bed, he was just as upset about the fight as Helga.

The next day was no better. Arnold laid in bed for hours after he woke up, feeling no desire to get up and face the world. _'I can't believe we're fighting. I should call and apologize. But what if she's too mad at me to listen? What if she just hangs up on me? I don't know what I'd do if...what if she never wants to see me again? I don't know if I could bear that. I've never met a girl like her before...she fills my days with light. She makes every day better, no matter what. And she understands me so well! And I understand her. It's almost like...we have a special connection. Like...fate brought us together. And who knows? Maybe it did. After all, what are the chances that we would meet the way we did? And that what I said would make the impact that it did? Fate had to be part of it!' _he thought.

_'He still hasn't called. It's...10:00. That means it's been...18 hours, 20 minutes, and 17...18...19 seconds since our fight. Maybe he really isn't going to call. Maybe...maybe I was right. He never wants to see me again, and this is...the end. What am I going to do? I can't believe this might be it. We haven't even been together a month! And already we might be...breaking up...' _

At this point on her thoughts Helga had started to cry for the fifth time since the fight. Every time she thought of she and Arnold breaking up, it felt like she was being stabbed in the heart. She lay curled in a ball on her bed, pink book at the foot of her bed. She had tried to use poetry to sort out her feelings like she usually did, but now poetry just reminded her of Arnold, and it just made the hurt worse. 'Even poetry makes me sad. Wow, that's a cruel twist, huh?' she thought sadly.

Helga pulled herself into a tighter ball, but just as she was hiding more under the covers she heard a knock at her door.

"Helga?" her mother called in a slow, dreamy voice, "Is everything okay, honey? You're still in bed, and it's getting late."

"I'm fine, Miriam! I'll be out when I want to!" Helga managed to yell without sobbing. _'Talk about the biggest lie I've ever told. "I'm fine...except for I royally screwed up and completely ruined any chance I had with Arnold, and now my world is coming down around me in a tidal wave of pain and tears, but yeah, I'm fine".'_ Helga thought.

"Okay, honey, have a good day!" Miriam said as she walked off to the kitchen to make another smoothie.

"Not likely," Helga mumbled. She rolled over and looked around her room for something to distract her from her misery. Her eyes landed on the bear Arnold had won her at the Cheese Festival, who was seated on her nightstand.

In one movement she sat up and grabbed the bear, then threw it against the wall as hard as she could. She sat on her bed for a second, staring at the bear that now lay on the floor, then in a flash she jumped out of bed. She ran over to the bear, cradled it in her arms, and sobbed as hard as she could.


	17. Chapter 17

**See? I told you I'd have another chapter up ASAP! And here it is! And this one isn't super short (well, okay, yeah it kinda is. But I promise there are plenty more ideas coming, so chapters should get longer). This one has some more of my original poetry (sorry if it sucks; I'm no Helga, but this story is pretty much writing itself by now, so if it calls for poetry, then poetry I must write.) Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: You know the drill**

Chapter 17

By Monday Arnold and Helga were still not speaking. They walked through the halls in total silence, but by the end of the day Gerald could see that Arnold was not holding up well.

"Man, you'd better do something fast, before you go completely nuts!" he commented, watching Arnold pretend he wasn't watching Helga while they all got their things from their lockers at the end of the day.

"I don't know what _to_ do, Gerald. She won't take just a plain old apology. I have to do something special!"

"Like what?"

"Like...I know!" he whispered his plan to Gerald.

"Mm mm mm, you are a bold kid, Arnold. A bold kid. But best of luck to you."

"Thanks, Gerald."

Arnold rushed home and up to his room. After finding what he was looking for he rushed to Helga's house. She had once commented that she always came home to an empty house, so Arnold knew his plan would work.

He climbed the front stoop, took a deep breath, and rang the doorbell. Helga opened the door, just like Arnold had hoped.

"Oh, it's _you_. What do you want, Football Head?"

Arnold knelt down on one knee and and pulled out a piece of paper.

"Helga, I really don't like you being mad at me, and I've come to apologize; I overreacted about the ice cream. Also, I...I wrote you this:

_A chance meeting at the age of three_

_Fate brought us together, you and me._

_For years I lived unaware_

_Of your love for me, how much you care. _

_Now fate has taken another turn,_

_And of your love I finally learn._

_Now every day is shining and bright,_

_Thanks the blessing of you in my life _

_So here is my poem, I know it's not great_

_But it's inspired by the love we've shared since our first date. _

_I'm telling you honestly, and I'm telling you true,_

_Helga G. Pataki, I love you."_

Finished, Arnold looked at Helga, waiting for her reaction.

"Arnold," she began in a quiet, awed voice, "You actually wrote a poem...for me?" he nodded "No one's ever done anything so...so touching, and sweet, and just so utterly perfect for me in my whole life. That was beautiful, Arnold, thank you!" in one quick motion she pulled him into a hug he gladly returned.

"I missed hugging you, Helga."

"And I missed hugging you, too. Oh Arnold, I was so worried you'd never want to speak to me again! You were right, I should have gone back and paid the extra money. Besides, nothing is worth risking your love!"

"Helga, look at me." Helga removed her face from where she had buried it in Arnold's shoulder to look into his deep green eyes.

"You could never lose my love, Helga. I'll keep coming back as long as you want me to. I promise."

That did it. Helga lost any and all doubts she might have had and, with tears of joy welling in her eyes, she kissed Arnold right on her front stoop in broad daylight!

"Football Head, you really are perfect!" she exclaimed.

"Oh Helga, I'm far from perfect" he replied.

"You're as close to perfect as you ever need to be, Arnold."

"Well you're pretty perfect yourself, Helga."

"Oh Arnold, I'm not perfect. Not at all!"

"You're as close to perfect as you ever need to be, Helga" Arnold said, quoting her. The two stood there with dreamy smiles on their faces for a few minutes until Helga realized how strange they must look just standing there, not to mention who might see them.

"So, um, would you like to come in?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, uh, sure. Thanks, Helga."

They went inside and up the stairs, but upon arriving at Helga's room Arnold again stopped short of entering.

"Arnold, are we really going to go over this again?" Helga sighed.

"Well, the last time I was in your room was before I was your b-b-boyfriend, and I just don't think that your parents would like it if I-"

"Criminy Arnold, I swear!" Helga interrupted. She pulled him into her room and looked at him seriously, "Arnold, I appreciate that you want to be a gentleman, but honestly! It's not that big a deal! You can be in my room, alone with me, when my parents aren't home; the world won't end, and the sky won't fall, okay?"

"I know, Helga. I just don't want to make your parents mad."

"Please. If they even noticed either of us was in the house it'd be a miracle!"

"...your parents really notice you that little?" it wasn't really a question, even though Arnold said it like one.

"Yeah. Miriam is always "asleep" behind the couch or something, and Bob can't even get my name right most of the time. I'm surprised I even know my name considering how often he calls me Olga."

"That's really sad, Helga."

"Yeah, well that's my life."

"But I still think you're lucky."

"How do you figure?"

"At least you have parents."

Helga couldn't think of an answer to that. Arnold never talked about his parents, and she had never asked because she figured it was pretty personal.

"I'd give anything to know my parents, even if they didn't pay attention to me," Arnold continued, "I mean, Grandma and Grandpa are great, but just being able to say "my mom" or "my dad"...Helga, I'd give almost _anything_ to have that. I know you're parents aren't the best, but at least you have them."

"Arnold...I'm _so_ sorry. You're right; here I am going on about how bad my parents are, when I should consider myself lucky I at least _know_ them. I can't believe I was that insensitive! I'm just so used to you and your grandparents that I forget sometimes what you don't have."

"It's okay, Helga. I've accepted that I'll probably never know my parents. Just promise me...the next time your parents make you mad, just try to be thankful you have them, okay?"

"Okay, I promise, Arnold." silence filled the room until Helga decided to ask a question she had wondered for a while.

"Arnold? Um, if you don't want to talk about it I'd totally understand, but how...how did your parents disappear?"

"Well, it's kind of a long story. Would you like me to tell you?"

"Only if you want to."

"Okay" Arnold and Helga sat on Helga's bed.

"My parents names are Miles and Stella..." he began.

As Arnold continued the tale of his parents meeting, then going back to San Lorenzo to help the tribe of Green eyed people, Helga tried to imagine what life must have been like all this time for Arnold. He knew all this stuff about his patents, right down to how they disappeared, but he had still had to grow up without them.

When Arnold finished the story, the first thing Helga did was hug him.

"Arnold, I'm _so_ sorry. I can't even imagine what that must have been like for you. And then me tormenting you for most of that time as well! I'm such a horrible person!"

"Helga, don't say that! You're a wonderful person! I don't know what I'd do without you."

"But all those years, you were going through all of this and I just kept barraging you with insults, and tripping you, and shooting spitballs at you, and...and..."

"_Helga_. Yes you did all that stuff, but you've also been a wonderful friend when I really needed you. It's not your fault you weren't sure how to express your feelings, and now that you've told me I understand why you did what you did over the years. Please don't feel guilty about it, Helga; I forgive you."

"But how can you forgive me for seven years of torture just like that?"

"Because I love you." Arnold answered simply.

Helga could think of nothing better to do that hug Arnold and give him a light kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you, Helga."

"Anytime, Arnoldo."

"you want to know something interesting?" Arnold asked after a moment.

"What?"

"My Grandma and Grandpa were just like us growing up. My Grandma would pick on my Grandpa all the time when they were kids."

"Really?!" _'So does that mean...Arnold and I might get married one day?!'_ Helga thought ecstatically.

"Yeah, all these years and they're still together. Pretty amazing, huh?"

"Yeah, pretty amazing" Helga echoed.


	18. Chapter 18

**Hello wonderful readers! I'm back with a chapter that's ****_not_**** insanely short :) I hope you enjoy this chapter, because I loved writing it! It's just so cute! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold, but I wish I did so we could get TJM!**

Chapter 18

"Here, Helga." Rhonda unceremoniously dropped an envelope on Helga's desk Tuesday morning.

"What's this?" Helga asked, but Rhonda had already moved on to the next desk. Helga picked up the envelope and tore it open.

_Ms. Rhonda Lloyd cordially invites you_

_to a homecoming gala _

_next Friday at 5:00pm. Semi-formal attire._

_'Oh boy, Princess really did it this time, didn't she?' _Helga thought. Just as she was about to stuff the invitation in her backpack with some other forgotten papers she realized something: if it was a "semi-formal" party, that would mean dancing. She could finally dance with Arnold without some silly cover story! True, their classmates didn't actually know that Arnold and Helga were together now, but it's not like they could hide it forever, right? Besides, everyone already knew she didn't hate him, so this shouldn't be too big a shock, right?

Helga decided that the party might be fun, as long as she could dance with Arnold. But she definitely needed something new to wear!

That weekend Helga and Phoebe, who was also going, hit the nearest mall to go dress shopping. Helga, however, was having more trouble finding a dress than Phoebe, who had found a beautiful blue dress in the first store they went to. Now in store number five, Helga critiqued every dress Phoebe suggested.

"What about this one, Helga?" Phoebe suggested.

"Eh, it's okay, but I don't like the neckline; way too low. I'd be so self-conscious in it!"

"Okay, well what about this one?"

"Too long. I'd trip and fall on my face."

"Well how about this one?" Phoebe held up the next dress.

"Well, it's kind of...actually, Phoebe, I think it's perfect! I'm going to go try it on!" Helga took the dress and ran to the dressing rooms. She emerged wearing the dress, which was a very pale pink, with a cream colored sash and a square neckline. The skirt was covered in a silvery mesh that caught the light, and stopped just below her knees.

"Oh Helga, it's beautiful!" Phoebe breathed.

"This is it, Pheebs. This is my perfect dress!" she changed back into her school clothes and paid for her dress, then both girls went to meet up with Phoebe's mother.

Helga shifted from foot to foot outside the Lloyd estate. She couldn't quite make herself ring the doorbell, even though she knew Arnold was just on the other side of the door. Her hesitation was due, in part, to her attire; the other girls had never seen her in anything very fancy, and she was nervous as to how they'd react. Still more frightening, however, was the prospect of Arnold's reaction. She had left her hair down, just for him, but she now wondered if it was a mistake. _'Stop it, Helga!'_ she scolded herself _'Don't second guess everything! Arnold already likes you for yourself, so just calm the heck down!'_

Finally she screwed up her courage, straightened her bow, and rang the bell. Moments later Rhonda answered it, sounding rather ridiculous as she tried to play the part of "charming hostess".

"Helga! Oh my, I'm so glad you were able to make it! What a gorgeous gown, you must tell me where you got it; Paris?"

"No, the mall, where normal people shop. But thanks for inviting me, Rhonda; I'm glad I could come." Helga wasn't sure what had prompted that last bit, but she had a feeling that hanging around with Arnold had started to rub off on her.

And speaking of Arnold, Helga had just spotted him over by the punch. Slowly she made her way over until she was close enough for him to hear her. But before she could say anything Gerald nudged Arnold and gestured for him to turn around.

Turning to face Helga, Arnold started to speak, then stopped; she was beautiful.

"H-hi, Arnold," Helga said nervously, "Um, you look nice."

"Helga...you look beautiful!" he excalimed. Helga blushed darkly; Arnold just said she looked beautiful, and in a room full of people no less!

"Um, well thanks, Arnold." 'Why am I so nervous? It's Arnold! He accepts me even with all of the crazy things I've done! But this is so public, and I'm not that great at taking compliments, and...oh criminy, I'm such a head case!'

Shaking her head to clear it, Helga joined Arnold and Gerald in talking and laughing and enjoying the snacks. If there was one the Helga could say about Rhonda's party, it was that the girl could certainly plan a menu!

A little while later, Arnold and Helga had moved from the snack table to a couch that had been pushed against the wall, and had spent the time just talking and shairing stories. At a pause in conversation, however, Arnold decided to as Helga the question he had been too nervous to ask before.

"Helga? Would you...like to dance?"

"Arnold, do you even have to ask?" Helga chuckled, taking his hand and leading them to the edge of the dancefloor. Arnold didn't stop there, though. Now it was his turn to lead Helga out the glass doors in the back on to a beautiful balcony.

"Arnold, what are we doing back here? The party's inside," Helga asked.

"I know, I just thought the balcony was more..." he leaned close and whispered in her ear, "romantic."

"Turning into quite the sneaky little thing, aren't you? So bold!" Helga joked.

"Oh, um, I-I just...I mean..." Arnold stuttered.

"Oh relax, Arnold, I was just kidding," Helga assured him before adding, "But just for the record, I really like sneaky Arnold just as much as I like gentleman Arnold."

"O-o-okay."

"So, um...about that dancing..." Helga said.

"Oh, um, yeah," Arnold gently wrapped his arms around Helga, who almost feinted as she rested her hands on Arnold's shoulders. With the music floating through the air and out to the balcony, seeming to come from everywhere at once, it was almost exactly as Helga had always dreamed.

As the two danced, the same feeling of everything being perfect as the last time they danced settled over them.

"You know, Helga, you're a really good dancer," Arnold comented.

"You're not too bad yourself, Hair Boy," she replied.

Just as the song ended, Arnold twirled Helga so that the beautiful view created a backdrop, and he looked up at her lovingly.

"You really do look beautiful tonight, Helga," he whispered. Then, he streached up on his toes, and Helga leand down to meet him half way. Meeting in the middle, they shaired a perfect, movie-ending kiss.

Rhonda's party was finally winding down, and everyone was starting to go home. Arnold and Helga said their goodbyes, thanked Rhonda again for inviting them, and went to the door to leave. But when Helga opened the door they were met with rain coming down in sheets.

"Oh this is just great! We're going to get soaked!" Helga complained.

"Don't worry, Helga, I have an umbrella." Arnold produced a small, fold up umbrella from his jacket pocket. Then he slipped off his jacket and wrapped it around Helga.

"Arnold, you don't need to give me your coat; you'll be cold."

"I have long sleeves, so I'll be fine. But your arms are bare, and you don't have a sweater or anything. Don't worry about it, okay, Helga?"

"Alright," she agreed.

They stepped out into the rain, sheltered by Arnold's umbrella. Helga couldn't help but notice how familiar this whole situation was, and it made her smile.

"Hey Arnold, Dejá vôú, huh?" Helga said, nodding at the rain.

"Yeah. That was a pretty special day," Arnold said.

"Special? How so?"

"I met you. Think about it: if you hadn't walked to preschool, and I hadn't shaired my umbrella with you, where would we be now?"

"We...wow. Arnold, I don't even know if I can think about it! We wouldn't have had all of the experiences we've had, and we...we might not even be...d-d-dating. Wow, that word still seems so...big."

"I know what you mean. It sounds so...offical and adult."

"Yeah. I mean, I've dreamed of the day I could call you my boyfriend since...well to be honest since I was three. But I didn't think it would actually happen until high school, if ever."

"You really thought that I'd never see you as anything more than a friend?" Arnold asked.

"I never thought you'd see me as anything more than a bully. The girl who tormented you day after day. Someone you couldn't wait to never see again."

"Helga, it's true that we weren't always on the best terms, but I can't imagine never seeing you again. Even if you never told me you loved me, and you tormented me for the rest of my life, I'd still want you around."

"Really?" Helga asked softly.

"Yes, really."

"Arnold...thank you. And thank you for not letting me run away that day on your roof. I don't think I ever actually thanked you for that, but I should have. If you hadn't, we wouldn't be where we are now. Instead I'd probably be at home writing poetry and being depressed that I still couldn't tell you how I felt and fearing you thought I was some kind of crazy stalker freak. Which I still can't believe you're okay with! I mean really, Arnold. I made shrines! Lots of them in fact! That doesn't...freak you out or anything? Really?"

"Helga, I told you. I love that you found such creative ways to express yourself. I can't imagine being as passionate as you and keeping all of those feeling bottled up for so long! Of course you needed some way to express them!"

"Arnold...I know I've told you this before, but you really are wonderful. Just completely wonderfully amazingly perfect!"

"Whatever you say, Helga"

"Exactly!"

They shared a laugh at the old exchange as they climbed the steps to Helga's front door.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye for now, huh Helga?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Arnold, I wish tonoight could just last forever! It's been so perfect!"

"Yeah, it has. Here, I know the perfect way to end it, too." Helga looked at Arnold in a mix of confusion and curiosity.

"Close your eyes," Arnold whispered. Helga complied and felt something land on her head, just on top of her bow. Then she felt Arnold kiss her gently.

Helga opened her eyes and touched the top of her head. At the same moment that she felt what was on her head, she realized what was missing from Arnold's.

"Arnold...your hat? Your little blue hat that was a gift from your parents? Arnold, I...I can't take this. It's so special to you!"

"Exactly. Just like you. Keep it safe for me until I see you again, okay?"

"Okay. I promise, Arnold, this hat is in the second best hands possible, the best being yours."

Arnold pulled Helga into a hug and whispered, "I love you".

"I love you too, Arnold."

Helga opened the door and stepped out from under the best umbrella in the world and into her house, but just as Arnold turned to leave she thought of something.

"Arnold, wait!"

"What is it, Helga?"

"Here, take this. You keep this safe while I have your hat." In his hand she placed her pink ribbon.

"Your pink ribbon, Helga? Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. Besides, you said you liked it in preschool, so now you can get an up-close look at it."

"Helga, do you mean...this is the same ribbon you wore to preschool?"

"Yeah. Well, it was the one I wore on the first day. After you complimented it, I saved it for special occasions; I have others that I wear daily. And, funny enough, this is the same ribbon I was wearing at the beach, on the roof, and on the first day of school. I guess it's kind of lucky, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Don't worry, Helga, I promise I'll keep it extra safe," Arnold assured her.

"I know you will, Arnold."

Both went to their respective homes, and when they went to bed that night, Helga had Arnold's hat tucked under her pillow, and Arnold had Helga's ribbon under his.


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello everyone! What? another chapter so soon? YES! And this one is the longest yet! I hope you like it! This chapter gets a little crazy, so I hope you can follow it alright. And now for some announcements: I'm a beta reader now! So if anyone wants my help, don't be afraid to ask :) Also, I know I've said this before, but I have a poll on my profile about a contest I was thinking of running. Only one person has taken it so far (thank you!), but I can't really run a contest with only one entry. So please, if you could just take a minute or two to check it out I'd really appreciate it! Alright, that's all for now. Enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Hey Arnold is not mine :(**

Chapter 19

The next morning when Arnold woke up he had a wonderful idea, and he couldn't wait to ask Helga about it. But he didn't want to call too early, so he decided to get some breakfast in the meantime.

"'Morning Grandpa, 'morning Grandma," he said, sliding into a chair at the kitchen table.

"Good morning, Arnold," Phil smiled.

"Good morning, Kimba. Did you sleep well?" Gertie asked, never taking her eyes from the fly on the wall.

"Yeah, I slept alright."

"Whatcha got there, Short Man?" Phil indicated Arnold's hand that was resting on the table. Arnold looked down and found that he was holding Helga's ribbon. 'I fell asleep holding it...did I really hold it all night? I must have carried it down with me unconsciously' Arnold blushed at this realization.

"Um, it's...it's just..."

"Come to think of it, where's your hat, Arnold? I don't think I've ever seen you without it, except for the time you lost it. You didn't lose it again, did you?" Phil asked in concern.

"No, I didn't lose it...I...I gave it to Helga to keep for the night, and she gave me her hair ribbon," Arnold blushed darker, but he smiled; it was kind of cute how they had swapped important mementos, if you thought about it.

"Oh well isn't that sweet! Pookie, do you remember when you and I did that?" Phil chuckled.

"How could I forget?" Gertie smiled, "I thought you'd lost your mind if you really trusted me with your lucky marble! But when you said you were serious I was practically over the moon!"

"Well it was no different for me. I couldn't believe you wanted me to hold on to your hairbows, even just for a minute, let alone a day!"

Arnold loved hearing stories of when his grandparents were his age, but he wanted to call Helga as soon as possible. He asked to be excused, then went up stairs to the phone in the hallway. Just as he started dialing Helga's phone number Phil came up the stairs.

"Oh Short Man! Hold up a second." Arnold stopped and hung up the phone,

"Yes, Grandpa? Do you need my help with something?"

"Oh no, I just wanted to give you this," Phil handed him a phone, "Why don't you go plug this in up in your room. Then you can have some privacy while you talk to your girlfriend!"

"Really? Thanks Grandpa!" Arnold ran up to his room and connected the phone next to the couch so he could sit on it while he talked to Helga.

Once it was connected he dialed Helga's number.

"Hello?" Helga answered.

"Good morning, Helga. How are you?"

"A-Arnold? You...and I...and...um, I'm good, you?"

"I'm pretty good. I was wondering if...if you had any plans today?"

"No, not really. Why?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to the movies with me. The new Evil Twin movie just came out, but there's other stuff we could see, too."

"A movie? Really? That sounds great! That sounds wonderful!"

"Really? Great! So, I'll pick you up around 2:30, so we can make the 3:00 movie?"

"That sounds perfect, Arnold. Completely perfect." Helga seemed to be getting more and more dreamy as the conversation went on, so after a little more talking Arnold let her go monologue or whatever she needed to do.

Waiting for 2:25 to come around was almost impossible for both kids, but finally Arnold made the five-minute walk to Helga's house.

As he approached her house he realized she was sitting on the front steps. She looked up and saw him coming, and jumped off the steps and ran to him, crushing him in a hug.

"Helga? Is everything okay?"

"Oh Arnold, everything is perfect!" she released her hold on him, though their hands found each other quickly.

"Sorry if I kinda crushed you there, Football Head. I was just so excited that when I finally saw you I couldn't wait one more second."

"That's okay, Helga. You never have to apologize for hugging me. Oh, and by the way, I like your new choice of headwear." Indeed, Helga had Arnold's hat settled right between her pigtails when her bow usually was.

"Yeah, I like it a lot. But I think it looks better on you," she removed it from her head and placed it on Arnold's, "Perfect," she remarked.

"And I believe this would look best on you," Arnold stood on his toes, and Helga bent down just a little, and Arnold tied the ribbon in her hair, "Perfect."

They continued their walk, but Helga sensed a change in Arnold; something was on his mind.

"A penny for your thoughts, Hair Boy."

"Oh, it's nothing, Helga. Don't worry about it."

"Arnold, if something's on your mind then it's not nothing."

"Alright," he paused, then took a deep breath, "I was just thinking...how much I don't like being short. I'm one of the shortest people in our class, and...and I can't even tie your bow in your hair or kiss you without you having to bend down."

"Arnold," Helga squeezed his hand comfortingly, "I don't care how tall you are. It doesn't matter to me. You could only be as tall as my knees and I wouldn't care. I care about you, Arnold, not how you look. You're kind, and trustworthy, and a good listener, and you're honest. That's why I like you."

"Thanks, Helga. I know that, but it still bothers me sometimes."

"Arnold...I don't really know how to make you feel better. That's your specialty. But I can tell you that no matter what I love you. And don't worry; one day I'm sure you'll be taller than me. And until then, I like you just the way you are."

"Thanks, Helga. I guess you're right; I won't be short forever, and even if I do end up always being shorter than you it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world."

They arrived at the movie theater and looked at the list of movies. After deciding on Evil Twin, they stopped but the concession stand for popcorn.

"What can I get you?" the worker asked.

"We'll take one medium popcorn, one Yahoo soda, and...what would you like to drink, Helga?"

"I'll have a Yahoo soda, too."

"Okay, two Yahoo's, please," Arnold finished the order.

"Coming right up...oh, um, I have to apologize, but there's only one cup left. If you don't mind waiting it will take about five minutes to get more cups."

"What do you think, Helga?"

"Well, I don't want to miss the beginning of the movie. If...if you're okay with it, I'd be okay with...y'know, sharing a cup," Helga finished, blushing.

"Um, yeah, that's fine. Um, we'll just take the one soda, but, um, with two...two straws. Please," Arnold was blushing as well; he couldn't believe he had actually just asked for one cup and two straws!

"Okay, here's your order. Enjoy the movie!" Arnold paid for their snacks and they entered the screening room.

"Where do you want to sit, Helga?" Arnold asked.

"Wherever's fine." They found seats towards the back, in a relatively unoccupied section. The beginning commercials began to play, and Arnold and Helga settled in with their popcorn.

Everything was fine for the first few minutes, until Helga's hand landed on Arnold's as they both reached for popcorn. Helga blushed, but Arnold just smiled and intertwined his fingers with Helga's, making her forget how to breathe.

The movie was about half done, and the popcorn was long gone. Arnold and Helga sat, watching the movie and holding hands. Suddenly, much to Helga's surprise, Arnold released her hand. She tried not to look too upset, but in truth she was very confused and a little hurt. Had she done something wrong? Then she felt something she had barely dared to dream about, and certainly hadn't expected until high school. Arnold tentatively put his arm around Helga's shoulders and gave her left shoulder a little squeeze. Helga froze and sat stock still, then slowly looked at Arnold. He blushed and started to move his arm, but Helga put her hand on his to stop him.

"Helga? Um, are you okay? I'm sorry, I was too forward, wasn't I?" Arnold whispered.

"Arnold...never ever apologize for putting your arm around me. Ever. Okay?"

"O-okay."

Helga managed to unfreeze enough to lean her head on Arnold's shoulder, and after a while it started to feel...normal. Natural. Perfect.

When the movie was over, Arnold and Helga went for a walk down by the dock. They didn't say much, just enjoyed being together. But as time went on they decided they had better part ways and go to their respective homes for dinner.

Helga smiled all the way home, and she continued to smile until Arnold was out of sight. Now alone, she turned to open the door, however Helga made a discovery she never thought she'd make: the door was locked. _'My parents never lock the door. What's going on?'_ she thought, beginning to panic just a little. She tried all of the windows and then back door, but nothing worked; she was locked out. _'Great. Guess there's only one thing I can do. Criminy, this is going to be humiliating!'_

Helga shuffled her feet to the only place she could think of: Arnold's house. Face red as a rose, she rang the doorbell. Moments later Phil opened the door.

"Well hello there!" he exclaimed, "Let me get Arnold for you. Arnold," he called into the house, "Your girlfriend's here! Don't keep her waiting, Short Man!"

"Hi, Helga," Arnold said as he emerged from the kitchen, "Is something wrong?"

"Arnold, I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I'm locked out of my house. I have no idea where my parents are, and to tell you the truth...I'm a little scared; they've never just left before, and they _never_ lock the house. _Ever_. I wasn't sure what to do, and Phoebe's at a family reunion tonight, and I was just wondering..."

"Helga, it's okay. Of course you can stay for dinner; I'll go set another place."

"Oh, well, I actually was just going to ask if I could hang out in your living room or something until my parents got back. I don't want to intrude on your family dinner or anything."

"Helga, I'm not going to let you go hungry! Besides, first of all, you're always welcome here, and second, as far as I or my grandparents are concerned, you're already like family," Arnold assured her.

"Arnold..." Helga was touched. He thought of her like family?

"Come on, you can sit next to me," Arnold winked at her before taking her hand and leading her to the dining room.

Helga was a little embarrassed about walking into the dining room unannounced and holding Arnold's hand (plus that wink. Holy cow!), but she did her best to relax.

"Hey, everyone! Look who decided to join us!" Arnold said happily as he and Helga joined the borders and Arnold's grandparents.

"Why Helga, it's so nice to see you again!," Suzi exclaimed, "How have you been?"

"Oh, I've been alright," Helga smiled, sitting down in the chair between Suzi and Arnold. As the meal progressed, Helga realized something. She hadn't been to the boarding house in a while, but everyone still talked and laughed with her as if she had just been there yesterday. For the first time that she could remember, Helga felt like she was having dinner with family. _'Okay, so they're not my real family'_ she thought, listening to Mr. Potts tell a story of one time he demolished a skyscraper _'They still treat me like family. They care about me, and I care about them. And who knows? If Arnold and I get married, Phil and Gertie really will be my family! But even if we don't, I have this funny feeling that I can always come here. Like...I'll always be accepted here, no matter what.'_

The only thing that broke Helga from her thoughts was the feeling of Arnold taking her hand in his and giving it a gentle squeeze. He was just as happy as Helga was that they could all be together as a...well, as a family. Sure, maybe he didn't have a "normal" family, and of course he still missed his parents, but right here, in this moment, he felt like the luckiest person on earth. He had a loving family, good friends, and right here beside him was the most amazing and interesting girl he had ever met, who had loved him since they were three, and was now his girlfriend. Life couldn't get much better.

After dinner Arnold and Helga helped clean up, and Phil went to go call Helga's family. A moment later he returned to the kitchen to find Arnold and Helga, who had been doing dishes, both covered in bubbles and giggling like crazy.

"Oh, you kids! Can't leave you alone for a minute!" he joked, "Helga, I called your house, but no one answered, so I guess you'll be staying here for the night. Hope you don't mind too much!"

_Mind_? Helga dropped the fork she had been holding back into the soapy water and stared blankly into space for a moment. _'I'm going...spend the night...at...at Arnold's...' _she felt like her whole universe must have tilted on end, because there was _no way_ that fate would be so kind as to drop this opportunity in her lap. But it had, and Helga could barely form a coherent thought.

"Hehe, well I'll take that as an okay. Short Man, I'll finish the dishes, you help Helga get a room set up. Any room is fine, so take your pick, okay Helga?"

"Uh...uh huh...s-sure..." Helga mumbled dreamily as Arnold led her upstairs.

"Okay, here are some blankets," said Arnold, pulling a neatly folded set from a closet, "Do you have a particular room you'd like, Helga?" Helga turned to the room closest to Arnold's room.

"Um, that one's fine"

"Okay. Funny, I had a feeling you'd pick that one," Arnold chuckled.

"Oh? And what's _that_ supposed to mean, Hair Boy?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing at all, Helga," he chuckled some more.

"Arnold, are you implying that I chose this room specifically because of it's proximity to your door?"

"Helga..." he gave her a knowing look.

"Oh, alright, you got me. Good grief, Football Head, how do you know me so well?"

"Because I love you," Arnold grinned. He turned and climbed the steps to his room, then returned with a pillow and some very familiar looking plaid fabric.

"I'm afraid I couldn't find any pillows, but you can use one of mine, and I brought you one of...one of my plaid shirts, and...and some shorts. I think they should fit," Arnold faltered at the last bit. Not that he would admit it to anyone, but the idea of Helga dressed in one of his plaid shirts sounded very cute to Arnold.

Helga blushed as she accepted the items from Arnold.

"Um, t-thanks, Arnold." The idea of sleeping in, heck _touching_ one of Arnold's plaid shirts made Helga giddy. _'I'm actually going to sleep in one of Arnold's shirts! And I get to sleep on his pillow! I get to spend all night smelling that amazing shampoo that he uses. What is that stuff, anyway? It's fabulous!'_

Arnold went up to his own room to get himself ready for bed, but Helga remained standing in the center of the room looking at the shirt and shorts that she had Arnold's explicit permission to sleep in. Slowly, as if handling a sacred artifact, Helga slid her arms into the soft sleeves of the shirt and buttoned it. After putting on the shorts she walked over to the mirror on the back of the door and examined her reflection.

What she saw made her tremble with joy; she, Helga G. Pataki, was wearing one of Arnold's plaid shirts. Not only that, she got to sleep in it! Helga twirled around the room, and probably would have broken into a monologue if it weren't for the knock at the door. She opened it to find Arnold standing there, now in his own pajamas.

"Hi, Helga. I just wanted..." the sight of Helga in his plaid shirt rendered him completely speechless for a moment.

"Um, Arnold? I-is everything okay?" Helga was feeling a little self conscious at Arnold's reaction.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry, Helga, I just...well to be perfectly honest...you look really cute in that plaid shirt." Helga blushed and looked down at the corner of the door frame, pretending it was incredibly interesting.

"Oh, well uh, t-thanks Arnold. You, um, you look really cute, too. All the time..." she hadn't meant to say that last part.

"Oh, um, thanks, Helga," now it was Arnold's turn to blush, "So, um, I just came down to see if you needed anything before I went to bed."

"I'm alright. Thanks for checking on me, though."

"Of course, Helga." Arnold pulled Helga into a goodnight hug, then kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear,

"Sweet dreams my Helga. I love you."

Helga melted inside,

"Wow, Arnold, getting bold, aren't we?" she teased lightly.

"Oh, well I...um...I..." Arnold stuttered.

"Oh don't worry about it, Arnold, I was just teasing. Besides, I like it when you go a little outside your comfort zone and get a bit bold. It's cute." Helga winked at him.

"O-oh, um, o-okay. Thanks, Helga. Well, goodnight. I'll see you in the morning," he turned to go, then added, "If you need anything, don't hesitate to knock on my door, okay, Helga? Really, I won't mind."

"Okay, whatever you say, Arnold."

*BANG BANG BANG*

Helga awoke with a start; the clock on the side table read 11:00. After a second she remembered where she was, but she still didn't know what it was that had woken her. Then, coming from downstairs, she heard something that made her blood run cold: her father.

"Hello?" Phil answered the door.

"WHERE IS SHE? WHERE'S OLGA?"

"Woah there, Mr. Pataki, hold your horses! Helga's fine, she's sleeping."

As her father began yelling about how he and Miriam had come back from picking Olga up at the airport, only to find Helga not there, Helga crept to the edge of the staircase. She was out of sight to the people downstairs, but she could hear everything better. Not that it was hard to hear Bob.

The more he yelled the more Helga just wished she could crawl into a hole. A few minutes later Arnold came down from his room to find Helga pressed against the wall with her knees pulled up to her chest and her head in her hands. Arnold sat down next to her a put a hand on her shoulder. They sat there, listening to Phil and Gertie try to calm Bob down, but when Helga started shaking Arnold took her hand and led her up to his room.

As soon as they were in his room, Arnold shut the door and sat with Helga on his bed. Seeing the tears streaming down her face, he pulled her into a hug.

"It's okay, Helga. It's going to be okay. Please don't cry. Everything will be alright."

"No, Arnold, everything won't be alright! My father just ruined the best night of my life, and now he's down stairs yelling at your grandparents when all they did was help me when I needed it! This whole night is a _disaster_!"

"Helga, look at me," Helga looked into Arnold deep green eyes, "My grandparents will take care of everything. They'll sort things out with your father. Don't worry about it; just sit here with me and let's just enjoy being together." Arnold leaned forward and kissed away the tears that still lingered on Helga's cheek.

"Oh Arnold!" she buried her face in his shoulder and just tried to enjoy the feeling of his arms around her. He stroked her hair and held her close until she stopped shaking.

"Arnold," she began, lifting her face to look at him again, "Thank you so much. I'm sorry my father had to come and ruin everything; until he showed up...well to tell you the truth I never thought I'd ever get to sleep over at your house, so tonight was a dream come true. Arnold...do you mind if I tell you something that's probably going to make me sound like a crazy obsessive stalker?"

"Helga, you can tell me anything."

"Okay. When you handed me this shirt to wear...I really thought I'd died and gone to Heaven. Arnold, do you know how much I've wanted to even touch one of your shirts?"

"Well, Helga, if you love it so much...you...you could...k-keep it, if you want." Helga stared at him open-mouthed. Keep one of his shirts? Was she worthy?

"Arnold...I...I can't..."

"You can, if you want too."

"Arnold..." Helga maintained her composure for a second more, then started to grin like the Cheshire cat.

"Arnold...thank you so much! I never thought this would happen! I planned on asking you one day where you bought them so I could buy one myself, but to actually _have_ one of your _actual_ shirts...oh Arnold!" Helga had been trying over the past few weeks to keep the kissing to a minimum, for Arnold's sake. He still wasn't quite used to having a girlfriend, and sometime he got a little overwhelmed if Helga got too...enthusiastic. But at that moment Helga threw all thought to the wind, and herself at Arnold, kissing him like she had never kissed him before!

Arnold hadn't been expecting Helga to jump him like that, but he couldn't say he was complaining. However, after Helga broke the kiss, for sheer lack of air, a thought crossed his mind not for the first time.

"Helga...can we talk about something important?"

"Sure, Arnold. Um, it's not anything bad, is it? Because if I did something wrong I am so sorry! It was that kiss, wasn't it? I shouldn't have jumped on you like that, especially when I know you're still getting used to this whole dating thing, and I was just so happy that-"

"Helga," Arnold broke in, "Why do you always jump to the conclusion that something's wrong? Don't worry, it's nothing bad. I just wanted to talk about something, okay?"

"Oh, okay. Yeah, sure."

"So, um, it's about...it's about our, um...our kissing. Before you jump to conclusions again, I'm not saying I don't like it, but, well...Helga, we're only nine. Do you think maybe...maybe we're too young for this? I mean, I didn't think I'd have a real girlfriend until high school. Maybe we're taking things too fast?"

"Arnold...I don't think there's really a right answer to this. I mean, yeah, we're nine, but that doesn't necessarily mean we're too young. Do you think we should, y'know, tone it down a little until we're older?"

"I don't know. On the one hand, I feel like we should wait until we're older, but at the same time...there's this part of me that says...waiting that long for another one of your kisses would be torture."

"Arnold, it's okay if you want us to wait, but it's also okay if you don't. Whichever you're more comfortable with, I'll understand."

"Really, Helga? After all these years of waiting for me, you'd still wait more?"

"Of course, Arnold. You've been so patient and understanding about everything with me, how can I not do the same for you?"

"Thank you, Helga. And...I think I know what I want to do."

"Let me guess, you think we should wait?"

"Actually, no." Helga looked at him in surprise. Mr. Do the right thing wanted to do something that they could be considered too young for?

"Wow, Arnold, I'm impressed. Not so much of a goody two shoes anymore, are you?"

"Well, I...I, um, I guess not," he blushed.

"Aw, don't worry about it Arnoldo, I'm just teasing you again." They noticed the sounds from downstairs had finally gotten much quieter.

"Looks like Bob finally calmed down a bit. Thanks again for making me feel better, Arnold."

"Any time, Helga. Maybe we ought to go see if your dad wants you to go home with him, so you can get you stuff together."

"Oh Arnold, do I have to? I'd much rather just stay here with you!" Helga jokingly pulled Arnold's sleeve as if to pull him down to lay on the bed with her. Or at least, it was supposed to be a joke. But Helga pulled a little harder than she had planned, and Arnold lost his balance, and at the end of the episode Arnold and Helga lay side by side, face to face on the bed.

"Oops, sorry Arnold. I didn't mean to pull you over like that, really."

"That's okay, Helga. I know it was an accident." Neither made a move to get up, however.

"You know, Football Head, we could just stay here for the rest of the night. It's pretty late, and I'm tired, and I wouldn't mind cuddling up with you all night." she winked at him, then giggled.

"Helga, you know we can't do that."

"Why not? What happened to bold Arnold?"

"Helga, you know why. My grandparents would never let us sleep in the same room, let alone the same bed." Arnold blushed at the word bed.

"Who says they'd need to know?"

"Helga!"

"Oh, okay, you're right. But before we go see what's going on downstairs, can we just lay here for one more minute? Please? I really don't want to get up."

"I suppose we don't have to get up quite yet." They lay there in silence for a minute, just enjoying being near each other. Helga reached over and moved Arnold's arm so that it was across the small of her back.

"Helga..." Arnold began.

"Arnold, please? Don't think so much. Just let it happen, then see how you feel about it, okay?"

"Okay, Helga." and the longer he lay there with his arm around Helga, the more he realized that he liked it.

Just as Arnold was trying to figure out if there was any way they could stay like that forever, there was a knock at the door. Instantly Helga was across the room on the couch and Arnold was sitting up on his bed trying to clear his head. He got up and opened the door to find Phil standing there.

"Hey, Short Man. Is your girlfriend in there with you?"

"Um, yeah, Helga's in here. I'm sorry, Grandpa, but she was upset, and so I-"

"Oh don't worry about it, Short Man. I trust you! I just wanted to let Helga know that her father said she can either stay here or go home; her call."

Arnold turned to Helga, who was still sitting on the couch, blushing a bit at almost being caught with Arnold during such a private moment.

"What do you think, Helga? Do you want to stay?" Arnold asked. He didn't want to influence her decision, but more than anything he wanted Helga to stay.

"Well, if it's okay, I'd really like to stay," Helga said softly.

"Well of course it's okay!" Phil chuckled, "I'll go let your father know. Don't stay up too late, okay you two?"

"Um, of course not, Grandpa." Arnold said. He closed the door and walked over to the couch with Helga.

"I'm really glad you decided to stay, Helga."

"I'm glad I get to stay. I guess tonight didn't turn out too horrible. After all, I wouldn't be sitting here with you right now if my dad hadn't flipped his lid. I'd be wasting my time sleeping!"

"Yeah."

A while later Arnold found himself in a bit of a predicament. He and Helga had been sharing stories, and in the middle of one of his she had fallen asleep. Now Arnold sat on his couch with Helga all but asleep on his lap! Her head was on his shoulder and her arms were wrapped around him.

Slowly, so as not to wake her, Arnold attempted to detach himself from Helga. However, in moving she had become more or less awake.

"Huh? Where am I? What's going on? Arnold?"

"Sorry to wake you, Helga. I was trying to unwrap your arms from me without waking you, but I guess it didn't work."

"Eh, that's okay. I should go back to my own room anyway, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Arnold replied regretfully.

"Arnold," she feigned shock, "are you saying you'd like me to...stay?"

"Well, um, I don't want you to leave, but we can't sleep in the same room."

"That's my Arnold, always doing the right thing! Although y'know, Football Head, it wouldn't kill you to bend the rules a little sometimes."

"Okay, Helga, I'll keep that in mind."

"Alright," she smiled sweetly, "Well, goodnight, Arnold," she kissed him gently before heading down to her own bed.

Arnold waved down the hall until her door closed, then returned to his bed. But rather than go to sleep, he lay awake, thinking. _'Tonight was really crazy, wasn't it? But...maybe it was a good kind of crazy. And maybe Helga's right; maybe I worry too much about doing the right thing. But it's just because I've done some things in the past that I shouldn't have, mostly when I was following the rest of the guys or when I was trying to impress a girl, like that time I used Gerald's sister to try and help me with Lila. And doing stuff like that either gets me in trouble or leaves me feeling guilty, and I don't want to mess things up with Helga. She still doesn't fully believe me when I tell her that I love her, and I guess I understand why. I mean, she's been waiting seven years for me, and I didn't even know. Not to mention she spent every day worrying someone would find out her secret. And now that we're finally together, she must be having just as many emotions about it as I am. Wow. Hey, I just thought of something...'_ Arnold rolled over and looked at his calendar. In exactly one week, it would be his and Helga's one month anniversary. _'I should do something extra special to celebrate. But what?'_ he turned ideas over in his head for a while, and just as he was drifting off to sleep, he thought of the perfect plan.


	20. Chapter 20

**Hello my wonderful readers! We have officially hit the 20th chapter! I want to thank everyone for their reviews, because they make my day better whenever I read them. Alright, I'm not going to prattle on in the forward, so enjoy that chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Hey Arnold, but I just write the fanfiction.**

Chapter 20

The next morning when Helga woke up she lay in bed for a few seconds savoring being in the boarding house in Arnold's shirt. Correction: her shirt. Arnold had done the seemingly impossible and gifted her with one of his shirts. She snuggled deeper into the soft material.

After a minute Helga's stomach let out a loud grumble, and she decided she had better get up. She went to find her clothes, which she had left in a pile next to the door, only to find them folded on the chair just inside the door with a note on top.

My grandma thought you might like your clothes washed. They should be dry, but if not I left

my bathrobe for you.

Love, Arnold

Well now Helga had quite a dilemma; her clothes were dry, but..._Arnold's bathrobe_! Helga looked between the two items and finally made a decision: she would just try on the bathrobe, then get dressed.

Helga lifted the bathrobe from the corner of the chair and wrapped it around herself. _'Holy cow! This is...oh wow! Did he wash this thing in his shampoo?!' _

After Helga danced around the room a little she got dressed, but she decided to leave her hair down._ 'I'll put it up later. Besides, Arnold likes it down.'_ She opened the door and skipped downstairs to the kitchen, and was met with Arnold, Gertie, and something that smelled wonderful!

"'Morning everyone! Wow, something smells great!"

"Good morning, dear. Glad you like the smell; it's bacon and eggs," Gertie smiled.

"Good morning, Helga. Did you sleep well?" Arnold asked as Helga sat down to the plate Gertie set in front of her.

"Yeah, I slept great. You?"

"Yeah, pretty well."

"Oh," Helga remembered suddenly, turning to Gertie, "Thanks for washing my clothes, Arnold's grandma."

"Oh call me Gertie, dear. And you're very welcome."

They finished breakfast while making small talk, then Arnold and Helga went up to Arnold's room.

"So, what do you want to do?" Arnold asked.

"Honestly, Arnold? I'd really like to...to just sit and enjoy being with you, if that's okay. So much has happened lately, and it's kind of hard for me to absorb it all."

"Yeah, a lot has happened, huh? I think just sitting sounds nice." Arnold sat on his couch and picked up the remote. With the press of a button, soft instrumental music filled the room. Arnold turned to Helga and patted the spot on the couch next to him.

"Coming, Helga?"

Helga didn't need to be asked twice; she all but flew to the couch and snuggled into Arnold, who put his arm around her. They sat like that that for a time, just happy to be together, until Helga broke the silence.

"Hey Arnold, not that it's that big a deal or anything, and I'm certainly not asking you to make some big event of it or whatever, but this Saturday is our one month anniversary of us officially being together." Secretly, Helga had been counting the days to their anniversary for weeks now, and part of her hoped Arnold might do something special with her to celebrate.

"That it is, Helga. I've been thinking about a special way to celebrate, but if you don't want to-"

"I never said I didn't want to celebrate, did I?"

"I didn't think so. So, um, are you free for most of Saturday?"

"I'm free all day. Why, what has that adorably football-shaped head of yours come up with that could take all day?"

"Helga, wouldn't it be better if I left it a surprise?"

"But I don't want to wait!" she said in mock impatience.

"You'll be fine until Saturday. But I will tell you..." he whispered in her ear, "...that it going to be _very_ special" he sat back and winked at her.

"Arnold...oh wow that was...Okay, now I really do need to know. What are you planning, Football Head?!"

"Sorry, Helga, my lips are sealed." Helga glared at him, but it didn't quite have the effect it used to, what with it being full of love and all.

"Oh, alright. I'll be patient," she sighed, "But that means you get no hints from me about your surprise!"

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Arnold smiled, hugging her.

"Helga? Are you in here?" Arnold had arrived at Helga's house Saturday morning to pick her up for their anniversary. Her mother had said she was up in her room, but upon arriving at said room Arnold that that was not the case.

Just as he was turning to go look for Helga elsewhere, he spotted a pink book laying open by the door. _'Helga wouldn't just leave one of her books out like this. Unless she was in a hurry to do something really important. Or maybe...maybe she left it out for me. After all, she knew I was coming over. So, maybe...' _Arnold picked up the small book and looked at the page it was open to.

_Arnold my love,_

_My sultry preteen,_

_Why must I hold you_

_only whilst I dream?_

_Will I be forever enslaved by your spell?_

_Why must I worship you and never tell?_

_Arnold, you make my girlhood tremble,_

_My senses all go wacky._

_Someday, I'll tell the world, my love..._

_Or my name's not Helga G. Pataki! _

_'S-s-sultry?'_ Arnold was dazed and a little shocked at how...mature...the poem was. He was trying to process everything when he heard something that he had long ago learned to fear: an angry Helga.

"_Arnold?!_ What are you doing?! Did you...did you read this?! Arnold! How could you? How could you invade my privacy like that? You know how personal my poetry is!" Helga yelled. She had been up in her closet shrine, praying for luck on their anniversary, and upon climbing down to wait for Arnold had found him reading the poem.

"I'm sorry, Helga! Really, I'm so sorry! I was looking for you, and your mom said you were in here, and when I saw it on the floor first I was just going to pick it up so no one accidentally saw it, I swear! I didn't want someone to find it and for you to be upset. But then I wondered if you had meant for me to read it, since it was right by the door. I'm really sorry, Helga! Really really really sorry! I'll never do it again, I swear!" By this time Arnold felt completely awful; Helga's poetry was like a diary to her, and he had just read it univited.

Helga took a deep breath; she wasn't really as mad at Arnold as she had sounded. She just wasn't used to people even _knowing_ about her poetry, let alone reading it, and even though she did want to share it with Arnold, she hadn't expected to find him reading it when she came out of her closet.

"Arnold," she started, "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have yelled. I'm not happy that you read my poetry without my permission, but I'm not mad. I was just scared. I'm sorry I freaked out like that."

"No, Helga, you have every right to be mad at me. I shouldn't have read your private poetry like that. I'm really sorry."

"Arnold...why don't we just call it even on apologies? Otherwise we'll just stand here apologizing to each other, and that's not how I want us to spend our first anniversary. Besides, today's supposed to be happy!"

"Alright, Helga. That sounds good. But I really am sorry."

"_Arnold_," she smiled and kissed Arnold's cheek, "So, what has my prince planned for our celebration today?"

"Oh no, you have to wait until we get there to find out. C'mon, Grandpa's got the Packard out front."

"The Packard?" Helga asked. They needed a car to get to wherever they were going? What had the Football Head planned?!

"Yeah, it'd be kind of hard to walk there, so I asked Grandpa to drive us."

"Arnold, you really went all out, didn't you?"

"Of course, Helga. Nothing but the best for you."

Arnold opened the door to the Packard for Helga, then went around to his own seat next to her.

"Well hello there miss Helga! How are you today?" Phil asked while Helga fastened her seatbelt.

"I'm pretty wonderful today, thanks. How about you, Phil?"

"Well I'm just dandy! Oh, and happy anniversary to you two."

"Thanks Phil," Helga smiled. She loved the way it sounded; anniversary. She and Arnold's anniversary. _'I've waited so long to be able to say that, and now I can! It's our anniversary! Arnold and I have been dating for one whole month! I'm his girlfriend and he's my boyfriend, and we're celebrating our one month anniversary! Okay, if I'm dreaming I don't ever want it to end!'_

For the rest of the drive Arnold and Helga never stopped holding hands. They enjoyed stories Phil told them about when he and Gertie were kids, and Helga kept reminding herself that yes, this was real.


	21. Chapter 21

**Alright everyone, this is it: the end. Writing this fanfiction has been so wonderful, and I'm so thankful for all the support I've gotten from everyone! As cheesy as it sounds I'd be nothing without my readers! You guys are the ones who kept me going to finish this. Special thanks to Azure129, who inspired me to even try writing fanfiction: you rock! This chapter is kind of short, because I wanted to keep is short and sweet; I hope you all like it!**

**Disclaimer: Craig Bartlett is the amazing owner of this series.**

Chapter 21

"So, Helga, do you recognize where we're going yet?"

"No, Arnold, but I wish you'd just tell me already! All this waiting is going to drive me mental!"

"Don't worry, Helga, we're almost there."

Indeed, the longer they were in the car, the more Helga tried to get Arnold to tell her what the big secret was, but he was firm; she had to wait.

When they were about five minutes away Arnold pulled something out of his pocket.

"Helga, could I put this blindfold on you?"

"Geeze, Football Head, you really like this surprise thing, huh? Oh well, what the heck? Go ahead!" she chuckled as Arnold tied the blindfold over her eyes, then took her hand again.

"Just don't let me walk off a cliff or anything, okay Hair Boy?" she joked.

"Of course not, Helga. You're safe with me."

Phil stopped the car and Arnold helped Helga out.

"You kids have fun," Phil called, "Take all the time you want!"

Arnold led Helga to the edge of the parking lot where they had stopped.

"Okay, Helga, you can take off the blindfold now."

Helga carefully untied the blindfold and looked at the scene before her.

"Arnold...you didn't...but you did! Arnold...the beach?"

"Happy Anniversary, Helga," he kissed her gently.

"Arnold, this is amazing. This is perfect!"

"I'm glad you like it, Helga," Arnold said. Taking her hand, he led her down the sand to a beautiful picnic set out for two.

After their picnic they walked along the beach, admiring the sunset.

"Oh, Arnold," Helga exclaimed suddenly, "I almost forgot to give your present!" she handed him a small box she had brought.

"And here's yours, Helga," Arnold replied, producing his own box, "You first."

Helga gently unwrapped the gift and lifted the lid on the box. Inside was a charm bracelet with charms that each meant something to both of them, with space to add more. There was a pen for Helga's poetry, a sea shell for the beach, an Eiffel Tower for their Chez Paris Valentine's Day, a set of comedy/tragedy masks for their school play, and an umbrella for the first day of preschool. And right in the middle was heart engraved with this simple inscription: To Helga with love from Arnold. That day in the rain was fate. I love you.

"Arnold, this is so perfect," she breathed, "I'll never take it off. Never."

"I'm glad you like it, Helga. Here, let me help," Arnold smiled. Helga had been trying to put the bracelet on, but couldn't get it to fasten. He gently took her hand and clipped the bracelet on.

"Thanks, Arnold. Now you open yours!"

Arnold lifted the lid of his own box and found a pink paper heart with a picture of him when he was three, and a book. He opened the book and found an envelope filled with pictures.

"You told me your dad kept a journal with pictures and drawings and stuff in it, so I thought you might like one of your own. Oh, and the heart...well, that's the first "Arnold Locket" I ever had. I just thought, since you've seen my current one, you might like to see where it all started", Helga explained.

"Helga...thank you. Thank you so much. A journal like my dad's? It's perfect! And I know just what to put in it first..." he carefully placed the paper heart on the first page.

"Arnold, you don't have to do that..."

"I know, but I want to. Preschool is one of my first clear memories, and it's also the place where I met you. I can't think of a better place to start my journal."

"Well I'm glad you like it, Football Head."

"And I'm glad you like your bracelet."

They stood there for a while, looking at the sunset over the water, turning everything shades of orange and gold. Then, just as the sun was almost gone and the sky looked like it was on fire, Arnold turned to Helga. They both smiled happily, then shared a kiss that most people only dream of. It was the perfect ending to a perfect anniversary.

**The End.**

**Thanks again to everyone who had any part in this, weather you reviewed, followed, favorited, or just read. I hope to see your usernames again in the review list on my other works that are coming shortly: a one-shot and another multi-chapter story, both Hey Arnold. Love you guys!**


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